Jun 20, 2024
The 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings took place this month, with much reflection on the lasting peace that the end of World War II brought to a devasted Europe. This episode of Travels with Textiles looks at how textiles have been used to mark and commemorate conflict and war. We tell the extraordinary story of Canada’s Izzy dolls, two million of which have been distributed to children caught in conflict around the world. We go to Nottingham in England to look at a commemoration of the Battle of Britain, designed in vast linen panels, and we uncover the life of a wartime designer who managed to turn the most mundane of official slogans into fashionable and desirable scarves that flew off the shelves, despite rationing. Join us to explore a little of how textiles impact on war and conflict.