Elaine Foster-Gandey is a textile artist and arts educator who founded the Hope Dress Project.
She received Arts Council funding to create “Hope”, a giant dress woven with words of hope from over 500 participants from vulnerable groups writing on strips of material. The fabric for the sculpture was donated by the London College of Fashion using end-of-line pieces from student collections. With additional funding from Arts Council England and private sponsors, the dress sculpture is now being exhibited at Palazzo Mora until November 24th. An extension of the project sees the artist inviting creatives to participate in talks and workshops focused on hope, sustainability, and innovative thinking within the art and fashion industries.