About

A garment that made British fashion history will be in Bath this weekend following the screening of a newly released documentary film, 'Woman Grows Jeans'. Part of a collaboration with celebrity clothier Patrick Grant from BBC1's Great British Sewing Bee, the U.K.'s first ever pair of entirely homegrown jeans were produced by a textile activist, Justine Aldersey-Williams who initiated the 'Homegrown Homespun' project as a way to raise awareness of the potential of regenerative clothing, and to highlight beneficial alternatives to 'fossil fuel fashion'. Her challenge was to develop all the skills needed to transform seeds into a garment.

As well as growing and extracting fibre and dye, this involved her hand spinning every day for a year up to 4 hours a day! Woman Grows Jeans is a 50 minute film that will be followed by an in-person Q&A with protagonist and director, Justine who will be wearing the historic jeans. It's showing at The Little Theatre Cinema in Bath, this Sunday 3rd August at 6pm and tickets are on sale now via the Picturehouses website.

Film Synopsis:
When an ambitious experiment between a textile activist and a celebrity clothier meets inevitable challenges, one woman is propelled into an initiation that makes British fashion history. With a community of volunteers, they envisioned homegrown jeans sold through a social enterprise—but their work exposed uncomfortable truths about the systems controlling industry. Despite its sophistication, the U.K. can no longer produce clothing without importing materials or causing harm.

In a country buying 70 million pairs a year, Woman Grows Jeans journeys into our resilient ancestry to reclaim the care and agency that's key to regeneration. After 600 hours, the UK's only pair of homegrown jeans were handmade—not as a relic, but as a provocative signpost toward the future our hearts know is possible. A celebration of the traditional skills that reconnect us to nature's wisdom, this documentary proves that the power to create change is still in our hands.

Picturehouses Green Screen is a community-led space to discuss environmentally-focused cinema, with expert panels and friendly post-screening discussions. Everyone is welcome to 'continue the conversation' after the film in your cinema's meeting space where you can enjoy a free tea or filter coffee when you bring a keep cup!