Sarah Corbett on stitching and activism
02.12.20. Internet
Sarah Corbett is an award-winning campaigner and author. She began her career in activism at the ripe old age of three and went on to have a successful career working for NGOs including Christian Aid, Oxfam and the UK Government Department for International Development.
However, her life took a different turn in 2009, when she created the Craftivist Collective, which champions ‘gentle protesting’ and ‘slow activism’, often using stitching and embroidery as a fundamental part of its process.
Since then the organisation has grown in size and has thousands of members, while Sarah has delivered talks and lectures around the globe, launched a slew of successful campaigns and worked with the likes of the V&A, Secret Cinema and Unicef. She has also done a TEDx talk that has been seen by more than a million people.
In this episode we talk about: the art and strategy behind gentle protesting; why she became disillusioned with traditional forms of activism; picking up her first cross-stitch kit; the importance of beauty; successfully lobbying the board of M&S; and her problem with Pussyhats.
The image above is by Robin Prime.
Find out more about Sarah Corbett
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/163770437294f4de0c3e58631730ccd670624748cb13a573f664810e77f59a54/16626301814_487daa1beb_o.jpg)
The Craftivist Collective created a campaign to persuade M&S to pay the living wage for all its staff by presenting the company’s board members with a handkerchiefs. Each contained an individual, stitched message. Image: Robin Prime.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/201c66ca9101ac431c5e19c335ed9875d29c163a54dc770fbbb160c79cc4a07b/31837997344_ec493549bd_o.jpg)
Another tactic is the ‘shop-drop’, where tiny scrolls are placed into the pockets of clothes in stores, asking potential customers to think about the ethics behind the garment’s making. Image: Jonathan Cherry.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4901163a9aca02b6e85c59192f6f35a9cd642a767e791900cbb82a03d5690a14/5690933269_3b4a559a73_o.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c95d0d415dfdd11e0741f6c3100d75ce0592d39a636d257a2ef112713c1b4811/4443727391_9e1670d631_o.jpg)