This month, a brand new stylists and designers market takes over the ground floor of Hyson Green’s New Art Exchange. Blending music, art, and sustainable fashion, Thread Xchange aims to make itself the antidote to perpetual fast fashion, doomscrolling, and in general, cultural habits that aren’t good for us and prevent us from connecting with other people. Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Ighofose, who founded the event, walks us through why Thread Xchange is well worth a visit.
The event was originally conceived to promote Afro-punk band Anansi’s World, named after West African folklore character Anansi - a symbol of chaos, transformation, resistance and wisdom. Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Ighofose, 25, who created the band and concept, wanted a new way to promote their new EP – creating a space grounded in community, creativity and connection, rather than individual separation.
“Art, fashion, music – these things shape the culture that we live in,” says Manny. “If you think about back in the day, there was the golden age or the Renaissance era – stuff like that. That’s a really clear example, in the west, how art shaped culture. If you look at the zeitgeist, that collective consciousness, the way that we talk, the way that we think – the things that we see as acceptable, and cool – are all influenced by artists. They're so much more influential than politicians, I think.”
“So with that in mind, the way that we engage with promoting our art, with promoting our music, with promoting fashion, we should be thinking about what type of world we want to see. Because I do. The way that I wanted to promote Anansi’s World, I was like, ‘If this art is going to shape culture, then what type of culture do I want to create?’ And the culture I want to create is one where we're a community, we're connected – we think as a collective as opposed to individuals who are all separated from each other.”
The culture I want to create is one where we're a community, we're connected – we think as a collective as opposed to individuals who are all separated from each other
The intersection of punk and fashion is well documented – the likes of Vivienne Westwood and The Sex Pistols spearheading the marriage of the two worlds back in the 1970s. And, while Anansi’s World doesn't claim to be traditional punk, for Manny, it’s the punk philosophy he’s channelling into the band’s ethos and Thread Xchange concept.
“When you look at Sex Pistols I really love their style. It's really DIY. It's really thrifted,” he says. “Because I'm really into fashion, that aesthetic caught my eye so much. I started listening to the music and I was like, ‘I love how raw it is’. It's very visceral. Learning about Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistols is also what inspired the event.”
The upcoming event is designed to create a vibrant, real-life community hub, promoting sustainable fashion, supporting local creatives, and fostering connection to counteract digital over-saturisation and fast fashion culture.
In a world where doom scrolling has become the norm – people clocking up hours of screen time each week – Manny describes himself as a part of the ‘digital refugee’ movement: people disengaging from social media due to its negative impact on quality of life. This idea was a big contributing factor to launching Thread Xchange.
“Last year I had a really big mental health crash. A lot of it was tied to being on social media – and when you’re online it feels like the world is ending. I think more people are starting to realise that social media is eroding certain aspects of life, as well as the quality of life.”
Manny thinks that channelling energy into experiences where people meet in the real world and connect can spur change.
“A consistent theme you’re going to see with the projects I run is that they are very much based in real life,” he says. “Third spaces have been disappearing, and we want to recreate them. New Art Exchange is a third space. I want to keep bringing people back here.”
It’s no secret that Nottingham’s independent fashion scene is facing its most challenging period yet. Recent months have seen the closure of various independents like COW Thrift and WILD – the oldest vintage shop in Notts. Manny wants to tackle these challenges and shift how people shop – encouraging them to find places they can support the city’s creatives.
“One pound can have completely different value,” he says. “You can spend it somewhere and it can have zero value, or you can spend it somewhere else, and it has tons. And the way to give our money the most value is to put it back into our community. So, if you can spend that money, and put it on a local designer, they can use it to make more stuff, or it encourages them to continue chasing their career.”
Fast fashion continues to wreak havoc on the world's resources, plus the lives of factory workers facing unlivable wages and harrowing conditions. Manny is passionate about trying to change that.
“I think that on average Zara and other companies generate £2.5 million per year from one shop. How much of that is actually getting pushed back into the local Nottingham scene? It’s barely any. Which of the fashion people in Nottingham are getting helped out by that?”
The event, which will take place from 6pm - 11pm, will feature a minimum of fifteen stall holders at New Art Exchange. There visitors can browse from a range of vendors, like sustainable fashion designer Balikis Akindiya, bag designer Nicole Smith, knitwear designer Mistryarchives, and designer D Mar.
There’ll be art from the likes of Kurkus.creates, a tooth gems station, and giveaways. There’ll also be thrifted and preloved clothing, footwear and accessories from a range of sellers, including SFiCE Foundation: a Nottingham charity who work to reduce the effects of food poverty, isolation and ill health.
A range of DJs will provide the perfect soundtrack for proceedings, with live open-mic performances and a headline from Anansi’s World. Manny will also be scouring the city for Nottingham’s best dressed, and stopping fashionistas who catch his eye for a street interview, in exchange for a free ticket.
Thread XChange takes place on Friday 13 March. Tickets cost from £3 and can be purchased online here.
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