As part of the Nisbet Road Tailor Shop exhibition, lead artist, Zain Ali, and curator and multi-media artist, Nat Joseph, will hold a very special sharing event: Woven Stories. 

The pair are inviting people to come together and talk with others about their treasured textiles, family heirlooms or objects that hold important heritage. It is a chance to connect with others and share the influence these objects have had on us today.

This is a free, drop-in event, so pop along when you can. Refreshments will be provided.

Zain Ali presents an expansive world of design, clothing and textiles, anchored by research that absorbs a multitude of perspectives, informed by Zain’s upbringing in Lahore, Pakistan to Forest Gate, East London and subsequently Northwest England.   

The designer launched his label in 2021, years after his career within the NGO and developmental sector, after completing his BA in Religion, Philosophy & Ethics. 

ZN ALI now makes bespoke clothing and hand-woven textiles between his studios in London and Lahore, having previously designed costumes for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and more recently being selected as curator for ‘Moving the Needle,’ the inaugural Sustainable Fashion and Textile Symposium, led by the British Council in Lahore, Pakistan. Zain has also worked for the British Fashion Council, managing the Circular Fashion Innovation Network, which aims to convene industry, academia and innovators to accelerate work and expertise needed to create a circular fashion ecosystem in the UK.

Natasha Joseph is a multi-media artist and curator based in Leeds, born and brought up in Bangalore, India. She is the director of We Belong Here, an organisation that develops cross-arts engagement within the creative community in the North of England whilst also making art expression more accessible to the public. WBH has just completed their first project, Zero Hour E-Residency, a 4-week long collaborative residency with 11 visual and performing artists from 6 different countries.

Her own creative practice is focused on themes of cultural difference, cultural unity and is also heavily based on collaboration with multi-disciplinary professionals & creatives as well as the local communities. She often uses mapping and documentary styles to express the experiences and ethos of her participants to explore deeper issues about identity and belonging.

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