More Than A Bundle Story

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Experiences of migration and making amongst the Turkish diaspora in Hackney’s garment trade.

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From the late 1960s to early 2000s endless conversations about bundles filled the air in factories, at social gatherings, in grocery stores and cafés. People would talk: How big was the bundle? How much did you get paid for each completed piece? Was the fabric easy to sew, or was the pattern too complicated? 

Often working with these bundles were those who had travelled from Turkey and Cyprus. After arriving in the UK with purpose and determination they found work in local clothing factories. They faced a different language, climate, lifestyles and cultures. Working conditions were difficult, and new arrivals could find themselves sharing a home with up to 10 strangers.  

What started as individual journeys became a shared experience and families emerged and slowly laid down roots. Strangers united through community and were bound by the same fate through the bundles. 

This project emerged through interviews that explore personal stories of hardship and resilience, loss and triumph.

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More Than A Bundle Story

Join Us for the Opening of More Than a Bundle Story
Curated by Emel Sevinc The Morning Everything Changed Osman Nuri’s next chapter began at a small Turkish restaurant in Maida Vale, where he met Vural, a factory owner looking to provide a canteen for his many workers. Soon after, we opened that canteen together. Each day we served three kinds of hot meals, filling the space with the scent of home. Soup was a favourite, and we even warmed food brought from workers’ own kitchens. The canteen quickly became more than a place to eat; it became a place of comfort. People came with their joys, worries, and stories, trusting us deeply. Some confessions I still carry with me. I never imagined that years later I’d be leaving again, carrying my life across borders to call another country home. My mother would say, half joking & half grieving, “If I’d known you’d end up in London, I’d never have let you marry him.” At five years old, Ünzüfet hadn’t known that every step she took carried her family’s future… 🧵 You’re Invited 🧶 A massive thank you to everyone that joined the last workshop which always turns into a ‘gün’🍛 From Bundles to Crochet stories… Exciting News!