The Life of a Dress is a travelling exhibition and series of workshops. In the light of the global trade of second-hand clothing the project aims to investigate how value-adding activities in participatory handicraft workshops in local communities may engage a population from different generations and nationalities in an exercise in reappropriating these materials. It is a further aim of the project to observe and induce aspects of developing, influencing and reconstructing sustainable patterns of consumption and production. The project explores models for fashion remanufacturing and creates opportunities for further development. The exhibition features collaborations with celebrated photographers and presents a world of dresses and artworks that have been produced or found along the way. In its centre, an open workshop developing shared ideas and skills from its participants takes place.