LET’S PLAY!

You can choose how long you want to spend on each task

This recipe involves playing in your home AND in your local neighbourhood. 

Explain to your players that you will be embarking on an adventure. Introduce the recipe - see the ‘about’ section. 

PART 1: HOME PLAY-SPACE 

Approx. 15 mins. 

Together, discuss what different clothing-related stores are. Ask them first if they know what this means, before explaining. You could then say:

“We will be exploring our local neighbourhood to discover stories behind the clothing stores on our highstreets. We’re going to be fashion detectives today! 

We will use our discoveries to imagine what the future of shopping and clothing could be. But first, we need to uncover what a clothing store is. 

Clothing stores are not just for buying new clothes, but also:

buying secondhand clothes and repairing, mending, altering, customising, upcycling, washing, cleaning and more.”

Clothing Store Info Cards

Read the Clothing Store Info Cards provided together to learn more about these shops and services. 

Activity Sheet 1: Personal Investigation  

Together, fill out the ‘Activity Sheet 1: Personal Investigation’  to reflect on where you usually shop and your shopping habits. 

PART 2: LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAY-SPACE

Approx. 1 hour +

Are you ready to be a fashion detective? 

Choose an area in your local neighbourhood with clothing-related stores. You could choose to go to a shopping centre/mall or stay on the high street. 

Choose a part of this area, such as one level of a shopping centre or one part of a street, to give your and the players parameters. 

Bring a notebook and pen with you, to document your findings. Let’s begin! 

Task 1: Observation 

Search the area to find all the different clothing-related stores that you can find. 

Write down details in your notebook, including:

-Name of the store

-Type of store 

-Interesting details. 

Think about what the stores look like, how many people are in the stores, what type of clothing they are selling or what service they provide, how they display the clothing or service. Include other interesting details. 

FOR EXAMPLE:

What: British Heart Foundation 

Type: Charity Store 

Observations/notes: This store sells secondhand clothing. I counted ten people inside. The window has three mannequins on display with each mannequin wearing a different striped outfit. I like how the customers are smiling at each other, it looks like an enjoyable place to shop. 

Activity Sheet 2: Fashion Detectives - Clothing Stores

Complete the ‘Task 1: Observation’ section of this activity sheet:

Count how many different types of clothing stores and services there are. 

Tally them and write your total count of each store. 

Answer the questions related to your discoveries. Discuss and compare your findings with each other. 

Task 2: Investigation 

This task asks you to interact with people who work at these stores/services. Choose one of these stores that you found interesting. 

You will be asking a staff member some questions! Your job is to discover the stories behind this store!

1. Go into your chosen store. 

2. Find a staff member and ask if you can ask them some questions about the store. Ask them if they are happy for you to write down their answers. 

The aim is for you to gain an understanding of the store, the people who work in the store and any stories they might have. 

You can tell them that you’re being a fashion detective, exploring fashion in your community. If they say no, that is ok! You can ask someone else or go into a new store. 

Some staff members may not want to answer any questions, so let the players know that this is ok. Emphasise the importance of asking for consent. 

You could say:

“Hi! My name is X/we are X and today we are being fashion detectives because we are researching clothing stores in our local neighbourhood/community. Would you mind if we ask you a few questions?”

3. If the staff member says yes, you could ask questions such as:

-“What is the purpose of this store? What kind of items does this store sell?/What kind of services does this store provide?”

-“How long has this store been open for?”

-“Who founded this store? Do you know why it was founded?”

-“What do you like about working in this store?”  

Let their answers guide your questions and ask follow-up questions!

Once everyone has completed their investigations, gather everyone in a group and return to your home playspace.  

Activity Sheet 2: Fashion Detectives - Clothing Stores

Complete the ‘Task 2: Investigation’ section to write your findings and their answers.  

PART 3: HOME PLAY-SPACE 

Approx 1 hour +

Task 1: Group Discussion & Reflection

When you return home, think about your discoveries! 

Answer the questions in ‘Activity Sheet 2: Fashion Detectives - Clothing Store’ to reflect on your adventure. 

Discuss and compare your findings with each other. 

Once everyone has revealed their findings, discuss what each of you thinks of the usefulness of these clothing-related stores/services. 

Task 2: Imaginary Clothing Stores 

You will imagine a new kind of clothing store or service in the future!

Use the information you have gathered and consider how our current clothing habits might change or develop in the future. 

Be as imaginary as you like! Think about what we would like the future of fashion to look like. 

For example:

-A Compost Clothing Store: What if there is an entire store dedicated to composting clothing? All-natural fibre clothing can be composted in soil. Customers could give the store the clothing they no longer want to wear. The store would look like a greenhouse garden. 

-A Clothing Library: What if we all had a subscription to a local clothing library where we could rent all the clothing we needed for free as we do with books?

Activity Sheet 3: Create an Imaginary Clothing Store

Use this activity sheet to:

-Describe what this clothing-related store does. 

-Draw what this store would look like.  

Task 3: Clothing Fashion Detectives  

As a fashion detective, you are on a mission to uncover:

-Where your clothes have come from. 

-What your clothes are made of. 

-Who made your clothes. 

And more! Using your chosen favourite item of clothing, complete:

 ‘Activity Sheet 4: Fashion Detectives - Clothing’