Shemakes
Amsterdam
2021-2022
Project Overview
Shemakes was a two-year, EU-funded research initiative that brought together an international network of labs with one shared mission: to empower future female innovators in the sustainable textile and clothing industry. As part of the team at TextileLab Amsterdam / Waag Futurelab, I worked in collaboration with six partner labs across Europe to identify innovation barriers for women in the field and co-develop tools, events, and learning models to support them.
The project combined research, storytelling, educational programming, and distributed lab-based experiments—fostering connections between local communities and the broader European network.
Our goal was not only to understand where innovation gaps existed, but to create tangible ways for labs to respond and support women in navigating their own unconventional creative paths.
Open Source
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Wool Power
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Distributed Workshops
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Women Innovators
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Participatory Design
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Open Source • Wool Power • Distributed Workshops • Women Innovators • Participatory Design •
My role
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Innovation Learning Path Design
Co-creation of Shemakes’ research-based framework and toolkit to guide women innovators along their career journeys
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Developing Participatory Tools
Including a Self-mapping matrix, a Co-creation workshop on gender vision, Women Innovators Survey, and interview guidelines
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Workshop Design & Facilitation
As part of the Wool Mondays series - three sessions exploring wool through place, process, and material - I co-designed and led hands-on workshops on natural dyeing and spinning. To support accessibility, I created an open-source DIY drop spindle, enabling participants to easily engage with traditional textile techniques.
Shemakes Rainbow of
Naturally Dyed Wool
Women in fashion: paving the way for female entrepreneurs
Co-creating a Gender Vision with Labs in Paros, Greece 2021
Wool Mondays: a model of collaboration
Wool Mondays - Day 1 Wool ecosystems
Wool Mondays - Day 2 Colouring Wool
Wool Mondays - Day 2 Colouring Wool
Wool Mondays - Day 2 Colouring Wool
Wool Mondays - Day 3 Wool open-source tools
Wool Mondays - Day 3 Wool open-source tools
Shemakes final conference in Amsterdam 2022
Naturally dyed tote bags for final conference
Shemakes final conference in Amsterdam 2022
Special Mentions & Credits
Photos by Beatriz Sandini, Valeria Raniolo and Marco Badiani
Special thanks to the Shemakes TextileLab Amsterdam team - Cecilia Raspanti, Ista Boszhard, and Isabel Berentzen - for their dedication and collaboration
Gratitude also goes to all members of the Shemakes consortium, transfer labs, and ambassadors for their insights and commitment throughout the project. Your collective efforts made this initiative a rich and inspiring journey
More information available at shemakes.eu