Welcome to the Roots of Costume Website

The Roots of Costume project was conceived in 2006 through the Aberdeen International Centre working closely with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council officers.  The project involved people from different ethnic backgrounds submitting stories and memories about their traditional forms of clothing, which were then shared with pupils and students from 4 regional schools.  This sharing with young pupils resulted in a series of design workshops for the schools, which led to the creation of new and fashionable dress wear using authentic historical fabrics.  Ultimately, the drawn designs, the manufactured costume and original examples of national clothing were presented as an exhibition.

A successful Heritage Lottery bid resulted in funding being made available in February 2007, to which Aberdeenshire Council contributed financial support.  The Aberdeen International Centre, Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council have continued to work together on the project. 

The Arts Education Officer (Creative Links) of Aberdeenshire Council has remained the contact person in that area and, in addition to overseeing the work where it involves the Authority’s schools, makes a regular contribution to the general management of the project. The project is coordinated by Saji Poole, who was appointed in April 2007. The main duty of the project coordinator was to execute the 3 phase project with the help of supportive staff and the volunteers. The project was supervised by Dr Mala Sathananthan, Director of Aberdeen International Centre.

The project committee consists of David Atherton, Hilda Smithand Dr Mala Sathananthan, the committee meets regularly to discuss the progress of the project.

Click here to learn more about the Project