Fashion Meets Flora: Kew Gardens Unveils Material World Festival
Temperate House, Kew Gardens | 20 September – 2 November 2025
This autumn, the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse will transform into a living canvas for fashion’s greener future. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has announced its first-ever fashion and textile-focused festival, Material World, bringing together leading artists, award-winning designers, and horticulturalists in an ambitious exploration of how plants and fungi can reshape style.
Running from 20 September to 2 November 2025, the festival promises immersive installations, community textile projects, and groundbreaking collections from the next generation of sustainable designers.
A Celebration of Nature and Style
At the centre of Material World is Between Earth and Sky, a bespoke commission by Australian-born Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore. Suspended high above Kew’s rare and endangered plants, the vast installation will be crafted from biodegradable fabrics such as hessian, organic cotton, and cheesecloth. Its wing-like forms invite visitors to reflect on ecological responsibility and the role of art in addressing the climate crisis.
Fashion’s Next Generation
In partnership with the London College of Fashion (University of the Arts London), students and alumni will showcase collections created from plants, fungi, and bio-materials. Highlights include:
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A 3.5-metre t-shirt grown from mycelium by Jessie von Curry.
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Seaweed trousers, pineapple-fibre garments, and naturally dyed nettle pieces by emerging talents such as Beth Williams, Silvia Acien, and Eirinn Hayhow.
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Live displays of the plants used in each garment, revealing the direct relationship between flora and fashion.
Visitors can also take part in interactive activities designed to inspire practical, sustainable wardrobe changes.
Global Threads
Award-winning garden designer Lottie Delamain will unveil Global Threads, a newly planted garden inside Temperate House. Grouped by country of origin, the beds will feature species such as indigo, cotton, aloe vera, roselle, and turmeric, alongside borders of discarded textiles sourced from local charity shops. The installation draws a powerful link between what we grow and what we wear.
Complementing this is Threads of the Canopy, a collaborative textile map of Kew created by over 50 local community members using embroidery, printing, and dye techniques.
Culture, Heritage, and Sound
Further installations deepen the conversation. Writer and curator Michael McMillan, working with Dubmorphology, has produced an audio piece interrogating the history of cotton, while the League of Artisans, co-founded by Carry Somers, will curate a showcase celebrating traditional plant-fibre artisans.
Evenings will see Material World come alive with DJ sets, poetry readings, performance art, and workshops, creating a festival atmosphere that blurs the lines between fashion show and cultural exhibition.
A Greener Future for Fashion
“We are thrilled to be launching Material World, a festival that explores the transformative potential of plants and fungi in fashion,” says Paul Denton, Director of Creative Programming and Exhibitions at RBG Kew. “This celebration of sustainability brings together art, design, and horticulture to inspire positive change in how we consume clothing.”
Supported by Cazenove Capital, the festival also highlights the pressing need to combat deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change through fashion innovation.
Access and Dates
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Dates: 20 September – 2 November 2025
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Venue: Temperate House, Kew Gardens, London
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Press Preview: Thursday 18 September from 10am
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Tickets: £1 entry for recipients of Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Legacy Benefits and asylum applicants
For more information, visit kew.org