From Design to Sewing: a journey with young participants in the “Scuola Popolare” project by Il Carro

A workshop can be much more than a hands-on activity, it can become a space for rediscovery and personal growth. This is exactly what happened with the young participants from Il Carro in Monza, through a tailoring journey in the Macherio workshop as part of the “Scuola Popolare” project...

A meeting built on shared values...

The collaboration began almost naturally through a shared sense of values. The encounter with Veronica Motta, creative educator and concept developer, was rooted in a mutual social and human sensitivity: “I immediately recognized Spazio 3R as an organization aligned with our approach and mindset”, she explains.

From there, a collaboration took shape that brings together textile design, social engagement, and educational work. The idea was to create concrete, shared experiences: a cycle of three workshops in our Macherio lab for ten young people at risk of school dropout, in partnership with the Monza-based social enterprise Il Carro.

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Learning together through making...

The workshop became “an opportunity for exchange, to share creative and manual skills, but also to build relationships and trust through making”.

The journey began outside the Spazio 3R workshop, exploring themes such as circular design, natural dyes, and botanical printing. It then moved into the Macherio lab, where Ilaria (sewing teacher), Anastasia (tutor), and the women from the training program guided the young participants through three sessions.

During these meetings, the group experimented with three different sewing techniques, combining hands-on making with textile reuse. The first session focused on hand sewing to create a keychain. In the second, they learned to use a sewing machine to make a bag. In the final workshop, they transformed a T-shirt into a tote bag using upcycling techniques.

“The workshop is a welcoming, lively space, full of color, materials, and hands-on work”, says Veronica. “It is a place where you learn by doing, but also by observing and sharing: an ideal environment for activating both creative and relational processes”.

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Transforming waste into new perspectives...

The goal of the project was twofold: to develop practical skills, but also to strengthen personal and relational abilities. Working together, listening, expressing oneself, and connecting with materials allowed participants to explore their creativity in a deeper way.

“The atmosphere during the workshops was calm and collaborative”, says Ilaria, the sewing instructor. “The enthusiasm the participants showed for their finished pieces demonstrates how effective the experience was. The ability to turn an idea into a tangible object strengthened not only their sewing skills, but also their awareness of their own abilities and a sense of pride in what they achieved”.

There is, however, one image that best captures the deeper meaning of the project, according to Veronica: upcycling.

“Waste is often seen as something without value. In this journey, instead, it becomes the starting point for creating something new”.

A transformation that goes beyond textiles: “it does not concern materials alone, but people as well”. For young participants who sometimes feel on the margins, seeing something beautiful emerge from what was once considered waste restores value, possibility, and meaning.