Every jacket tells a story

At the weekend, Old Customs House in Fremantle was transformed into a vibrant gallery for Stephen Scourfield’s Jackets Of The World exhibition. And more than 2000 of you visited. It was a pleasure to see you there, and we thank you for coming.

More than 50 hand-sewn denim jackets, each a tribute to global travel and personal stories, were on display as part of the free two-day event, which kicked off at 9am on Saturday with a warm welcome from fashion and travel writer Megan French, who worked closely alongside Stephen to bring the exhibition to life.

“Stephen has always had a remarkable ability to transport readers through his words, but this weekend, we see his storytelling materialised in a tangible form,” Megan said at the official opening.

“Each jacket represents a place, a moment and a connection to the people and landscapes that have inspired him over the years.”

Following the opening, Megan led a live Q&A with Stephen Scourfield himself, where attendees were treated to anecdotes about Stephen’s creative journey, why denim became his canvas of choice and the unique materials and memories embedded in each one-of-a-kind piece.

“For years, I have been bringing back fabric, embroideries and tapestries from my journeys, one from each country, and then hand-sewing them to a denim jacket,” Stephen said.

“Each piece of fabric has to be relevant to the place, and bought there and hand-sewn by me, and some have significant stories. The choice of the embroidery or fabric is important to me. So is sewing by hand, using running back stitch, blanket stitch and lazy daisy.

“There’s something about the commitment and connection of hand-sewing that suits the jackets.”

Throughout the weekend, other members of the Travel team joined in, offering a live podcast recording of The Pod Well Travelled, a phone photography masterclass with Mogens Johansen, and two live performances by Stephen Scourfield and his long-time friend, musician and composer Steve Richter.

Megan also presented a fascinating talk on the history of denim, which you can read more about here.

For those wanting to listen to the podcast episode we recorded over the weekend, be sure to follow The Pod Well Travelled on your favourite podcast app so you won’t miss out when it goes live on Wednesday September 25.

And finally, we’ve uploaded new videos from the exhibition to our TikTok account that you can view here.