With the BBC sewing show’s rise, sewing gains recognition. Can it help women regain confidence and control over their lives?”
Ann Rowley laid the fabric covered with auxiliary cutting lines on the workbench, staring at the hand-drawn design while fixing the position of the fabric with a pin. Scissors rubbed against the fabric, making a gentle “rustling” sound. She sometimes lowered her head to push the needle, and sometimes lifted the fabric to carefully compare the stitching. Carefully placing the fixed fabric into the sewing machine for sewing, she placed the sewn clothing components onto the model for positioning and stitching. Soon, a delicate men’s shirt was completed.
The shirt she made won high praise from the judges for its exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful cutting, and was known as the “perfect” symmetry. With her outstanding sewing skills, Ann Rowley ultimately won the championship of the first season of The Great British Sewing Bee.
“It’s a real boost that for all these years I’ve been doing something right,” Ann, the housewife who insists on repairing, exclaimed excitedly. “I like to think that not just me, but everyone who’s been on this program has inspired people to pick up their needles, get out their sewing machines and just get on with it and sew.”
She was already 81 years old when she participated in the competition, but still won the championship in the same arena as young athletes, which showed the public that women can realize their self-worth through craftsmanship at any age. Ann’s victory also made people realize that sewing is no longer an insignificant household chore, but a respected skill and creative art that can even become a livelihood profession. Many women have gained confidence and courage through learning sewing, daring to face the world more calmly.
The charm of this craft lies at the core of the program The Great British Sewing Bee. The program invites 12 amateur sewing enthusiasts every season to compete for the title of “Best Family Tailor in the UK” through multiple rounds of challenges. Contestants need to complete three challenges: Pattern Challenge, Transformation Challenge, and Made to Measure Challenge, showcasing their sewing skills and creativity in all aspects. The program aired its first season in 2013 and entered its 11th season in 2025, focusing on sustainable fashion and creative tailoring. Contestants are required to complete tasks such as renovating old dresses and reusing discarded fabrics.
Sewrendipity’s report points out that the broadcast of the program has brought about the so-called “sewing bee effect,” with a significant increase in sales of sewing equipment, fabrics, patterns, and clothing products, while also giving birth to new businesses in physical stores and online. The program also caused a huge sensation in the sewing circle, and the number of influential figures, including bloggers, video creators, and Instagram users, rapidly increased. Many small businesses have gained profits as a result.
It is under such social attention and enthusiasm that the social status of the sewing industry has been elevated, and the development of the industry has also accelerated. At the same time, it also provides opportunities for women to fight for their rights and achieve self-empowerment through sewing. Black Girls Sew (BGS) is a typical representative among them.
BGS is a non-profit organization founded in 2013, which regards sewing as a life skill, a way of self-expression, and a path to self-empowerment as their vision and goal. They teach sewing, design, and fashion-related skills to girls and young women of color, and incorporate creative design, sustainable fashion, cultural heritage, and business thinking into the curriculum.
Because the founder Hekima Hapa had worked in the fashion industry, she witnessed firsthand that young people of color, especially girls, had little opportunity for meaningful and affirmative learning in design and fashion production. “I hope to establish a platform that provides girls with tools for creativity, helps them build confidence, and understands that fashion is not just about consumption, but also about creation, culture, and care,” she said.
According to a research report by Business of Fashion, at the New York Fashion Institute (FIT), black students account for only about 8%. At Parsons, this proportion is even lower, only about 5%. Moreover, there is a lack of black mentors in the college and the course content tends to lean towards white culture, which leads to a lack of identity and support among black students.
Moreover, structural inequality still exists in the industry after entering the workplace. Although, similar to many industries, the middle and lower management positions in the fashion industry are mostly held by women, men still dominate in senior leadership and hold the main power. This pattern inevitably leads to gender discrimination.
According to a survey by Vogue Business, even if men’s qualifications are not as good as women’s during the promotion process, they often rely on their gender advantages to achieve advancement. At the same time, some women feel it difficult to integrate into the “male culture” of senior management and are ultimately forced to resign. It can be seen that women are gradually being marginalized in the fashion industry — they feel confused, frustrated, and lose confidence in the field they once thought belonged to them.
The emergence of BGS undoubtedly provides a platform for girls of color and young women to find confidence. “Sewing allows young people to explore who they are and how they want to present themselves to the world. They learn they don’t have to rely on fast fashion or external validation. They can design something that reflects their culture, values, and creativity. It’s identity work as much as it is craft,” Hekima Hapa said.
Every girl who participates in sewing learning leaves with pride, confidence, and inspiration. Here, they collaborate with others to turn their ideas from conception into reality. For many people, this is the first time they have been taken seriously as designers or creators — it will change the way they perceive themselves.
“We have witnessed an astonishing transformation. Some students were initially shy and insecure, but later grew into young leaders — speaking on forums, guiding others, and even starting small businesses. Completing a piece of work, putting on self-made clothes, or hearing strangers say ‘Did you do this?’ all bring about a huge boost in confidence,” Hekima Hapa said. “Sewing is a quiet way of empowerment, but its power is long-lasting and profound.”
A study published in the Journal of Consumer Culture suggests that women showcase themselves by sewing their own clothing, conveying their opinions through clothing, and expressing themselves through clothing to achieve identity recognition.
This power is more evident among young people. As Hekima Hapa said, “Sewing provides young girls with a platform for self-identity and showcasing themselves to the world. They will understand that they do not have to rely on fast fashion or external recognition, but can design works that express their own ideas and are full of creativity. This is not only a skill, but also a process of identity recognition.”
By learning sewing skills, women have gained opportunities to achieve self-empowerment. At the same time, they also found the confidence to start a new life. The story of Charlotte Peacock, the founder of Twin Made, may bring strength and inspiration to women who want to start their own businesses through sewing.
First saw her, she was sitting in front of the sewing machine in the small studio, mending a pink short-sleeved shirt. She was wearing her self-made pink and black checkered work pants, and her brightly colored hair left a deep impression on me. She has an outgoing and talkative personality, always accompanied by hearty laughter when chatting.
“I used to be a high school teacher, but there were many restrictions, such as not being able to dye colored hair. So I quit my full-time teaching job, founded Twin Made, and ran it full-time,” Charlotte Peacock said. At first, Twin Made only sold some handicrafts, but in the process of operation, she gradually came up with the idea of offering sewing courses, hoping that people could make their own clothes by hand.”
Among them, the birth of the workwear course originated from her personal experience. Charlotte has always loved wearing work pants, but she found that the sizes of work pants on the market are not good and it is difficult to find suitable ones. “I wanted to wear dungarees myself, so I made my first pair. They looked okay, but I looked like a sausage. I even sent a picture to my friend, and she said, ‘You look like a sausage.’ So I decided to develop a pattern that could fit any size. A couple of years ago, one of my TikTok videos went viral, and after that, the workshop became really, really popular,” she said.
It is precisely because of this opportunity that Twin Made’s most popular workwear course has emerged. In Charlotte’s class, people can complete their own work pants in just four hours, which gives them great confidence. “A woman once messaged me and told me that she personally made her first pair of work pants in my workshop, which gave her confidence to try more works. Later, she also made her own top,” Charlotte said.
Not only that, but many students continued to create with the paper patterns provided by Charlotte, making more clothes. Some even made a dress and wore it to a party held in the garden.
Charlotte’s workshop demonstrated how sewing can boost students’ self-confidence in just four hours. Research has also confirmed this. Psychologist Chiara Arpaia conducted a study on the intervention effect of sewing on teenagers’ self-efficacy. In the study, she had 26 female students aged 11 to 16 take a five-week sewing course. The results showed that their self-efficacy significantly increased during the course period, but remained unchanged in the five weeks before the course began. This indicates that learning sewing can indeed be an effective way to enhance the self-confidence of adolescent girls.
Apart from Charlotte, many women around the world have achieved economic independence and autonomy in life through sewing. For example, the KEEN project in Kenya. This project offers sewing training to women and helps them overcome entrepreneurial obstacles, such as providing them with high-quality sewing machines to help them achieve economic independence. With their help, the participants not only learned sewing skills but also enhanced their leadership abilities, laying a foundation for their future entrepreneurship.
The popularity of sewing courses is constantly increasing with the development of digital media. Social media has played a key role in promoting sewing courses, such as the “#sewing” hashtag on TikTok, which has received over 13.19 billion views and become an important channel for sewing enthusiasts to share their ideas and tutorials.
People learn and communicate through social media, making sewing more popular and accessible. It provides a platform for women to showcase their creativity and enhance their confidence, while promoting the formation of an online sewing community. Women from different backgrounds can support each other, share experiences, and develop their interests into practical economic sources or career opportunities.
As Candice Alviz, a social media blogger who transitioned from a lawyer to a sewing content creator, said: “I think we can all learn from each other. There are many great tips and tricks that can be learned from others. I don’t think you need to be an expert for 20 years or have attended fashion school to master sewing.” She further emphasized: “I really enjoy doing this kind of content, and I think it can resonate with many people. It seems that more and more people are starting to sew now, which is really cool.”
This trend allows women who are learning sewing to self-study through digital platforms and exchange experiences with others, breaking their dependence on traditional school teaching. For marginalized groups who cannot enter fashion schools, especially women of color, social media provides a low-barrier learning pathway, allowing them to master skills and pursue their dreams through watching videos.
At the same time, some housewives with sewing skills have also gained recognition and encouragement from others through sharing their skills, which not only enhances their confidence but may also develop side businesses or entrepreneurship, further achieving economic independence and personal value. It can be seen that digital media has not only changed the way sewing is learned, but also promoted its profound impact on gender equality and social empowerment.
“Every stitch carries an intention. Even a crooked thread tells a story about effort, learning, or the process of a person giving for themselves. We believe that fashion doesn’t have to follow trends — it can be a witness. Every piece of work completed in our space is meaningful because it is sewn with care, culture, and imagination. This is where its power lies,” said Hekima Hapa.