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In this week's blog, Costume Society member and fashion marketing academic Dr Esther Pugh talks us through the sustainable fashion movement The Corset Revival Project.
What happens when historic garments are rescued from the waste stream and placed in the hands of today’s most imaginative makers?
The Corset Revival Project offers a compelling answer. Born from an extraordinary stroke of serendipity, the project has transformed more than 100 discarded corsets into unique works of wearable art—each one honouring the past while pointing towards fashion’s circular future.
Co-created by Andrea Benahmed Djilali, founder of the Circular Fashion Incubator CiC Circular Fashion incubator, and Dr Esther Pugh, fashion marketing academic and sustainable fashion advocate at Leeds Beckett University, the initiative brings together heritage, sustainability, and contemporary creativity, in a way that feels both timely and deeply rooted in dress history.
From Waste to Cultural Artefact
In August 2025, a collection of approximately 150 corsets, destined for landfill, unexpectedly came into Andrea and Esther’s possession. Rather than viewing them as obsolete remnants of fashion’s past, they recognised their potential as vessels of history, symbolism, and creative possibility.
Each corset carries its own material and cultural narrative. Once rescued, they were opened up to designers, artists, students, and makers from around the globe, who were invited to transform them while retaining the original structure. No new materials could be introduced; instead, participants were required to work exclusively with discarded, reclaimed, or surplus textiles. Treasure hunting in charity shops and thrift markets and deconstructing unwanted garments, artists approached this by cutting, slashing, deconstructing the corsets OR embellishing, embroidering, beading, painting and adding to their garments. They each recorded their processes, challenges and experience in photos, video and diaries.
The result is a collection of works that respect the integrity of the original garments while pushing the boundaries of modern design practice. Selected participant upcycling narratives will be featured in a book, to be published by Routledge.
Corset by Lizzie Nolan. Image courtesy of The Corset Revival Project.
The Corset as Cultural Symbol
Few garments are as culturally charged as the corset. Historically, it has functioned as a structural foundation garment, shaping the body to meet prevailing ideals of fashion and femininity. At the same time, it has served as a political metaphor, a site of debate around control, agency, and embodiment.
In contemporary culture, the corset continues to captivate. Its revival in popular media—from Bridgerton to iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Madonna—demonstrates its enduring symbolic power and adaptability. These visual references document not only styling and layering practices, but also shifting meanings attached to the garment over time.
The Corset Revival Project invites makers to engage directly with this layered legacy, offering a rare opportunity to work materially and critically with a garment so deeply embedded in the history of dress.
“Through this project, we’re not just reviving garments — we’re preserving history, championing sustainability, and proving that creativity has no limits.”
— Dr Esther Pugh
Andrea Benahmed Djilali adds that each corset offers creatives a unique opportunity “to reimagine what fashion can mean in today’s world.”
Exhibition, Runway & Charity
The reimagined corsets will be showcased across a two-day programme on 16–17 March at Leeds Beckett University, combining exhibition, performance, scholarship, and philanthropy. The event will culminate in a silent auction raising funds for St Gemma’s Hospice, a much-loved Leeds-based charity.
Event Highlights Include:
Register to attend on Eventbrite.
Why This Project Matters
The Corset Revival Project sits at the intersection of several conversations central to The Costume Society: dress history, material culture, craftsmanship, and sustainability.
By insisting that the original corset structure remains intact, the project foregrounds issues of conservation, authorship, and ethical making. Designers become custodians rather than owners, ensuring that each corset remains part of a collective heritage archive rather than a disposable fashion object.
This approach challenges dominant models of production and consumption, while demonstrating how historical garments can be meaningfully reactivated without erasing their past.
Opportunities for Participating Designers
Selected designers gain access to a significant international platform, with opportunities including:
Key Dates
A Living Conversation in Dress History
More than a design challenge, The Corset Revival Project is a global conversation about value—of garments, of skills, and of the stories embedded in material culture. It exemplifies how historical understanding and contemporary practice can coexist, enriching one another in the process.
For members of The Costume Society, the project reflects the very best of our shared interests: rigorous engagement with dress history, respect for craftsmanship, and thoughtful responses to the urgent challenges facing fashion today.
Find Out More
For media or participation enquiries, please contact:
Dr Esther Pugh
Leeds Business School, Leeds Beckett University
e.pugh@leedsbeckett.ac.uk 07956 029085
Andrea Benahmed Djilali
Circular Fashion Incubator CiC
info@circularfashionincubator.com 07943 482759