Project summary of We Wear Heritage

We Wear Heritage (WWH) was an innovative community heritage programme celebrating traditional dress as a powerful expression of cultural identity, heritage narratives, and sustainability within Brent’s diverse under-represented communities.

The project was supported by CVS Brent and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Brent is one of London’s most ethnically diverse boroughs, home to significant Caribbean, Indian sub- continent, East African Asian, Jewish, and Irish populations. These communities have profoundly shaped its cultural landscape.

Traditional costume plays a vital role in this story – richly patterned, carefully crafted, and often handmade, these garments are tangible expressions of identity, ‘living history books’ of culture, and continuity that embody the values, aesthetics, and histories of their communities.

They create pride and a sense of belonging, connect generations, and keep cultural memory alive in a globalised city for diaspora communities far from ancestral homelands and carry deep emotional resonance. 

The project supported 12 small community groups across Brent to explore heritage stories, develop new skills, and share their traditions through public events and exhibitions. The project set out to share and celebrate these hidden stories, and to bring people together by creating opportunities for connection, creativity, and lasting change. It also delivered a wide-reaching creative engagement programme, and provided support, training and paid opportunities for volunteers, artists and freelancers. It built on CVS Brent’s existing strengths in community development.

Click the links below and view Project summary of We Wear Heritage in English, Spanish and French versions