One Year One Outfit
2026 - 2027 Cohort

A COMMUNITY-BASED COLLECTION OF STORIES AND FIBRE BASED PIECES THAT EXPLORE AND CELEBRATE OUR LOCAL MATERIAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES.

Registration is now closed.

What is One Year One Outfit?

One Year One Outfit, or OYOO, is a community project where participants design, source, and create an “outfit” of wearable garments, accessories, or adornments made with fibre and other materials sourced from within the Pembina Fibreshed.

Over the course of a year, participants will meet virtually to share ideas, resources, and skills with each other, learn about the local fibreshed, create their items, and then have the chance to showcase their project at the cohort display at the 2027 Manitoba Fibre Festival.

OYOO is self directed, but participants benefit from regular check-ins and support from fellow makers through monthly online check-ins.

Throughout the year, OYOO also hosts in person meet ups, craft nights, and workshops, helping participants connect and form community. It is not a competition.

OYOO is open to all residents of the Pembina Fibreshed, which is located on the lands of Treaty 1, Treaty 2, Treaty 3, Treaty 4, and Treaty 5 territories.

We believe strongly in the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

OYOO Aims To:

Provide structure for imaginative, slow fashion to thrive.
Celebrate the incredible amount of local talent and product in our Fibreshed.
Connect folks to each other to share projects, progress, hang-ups, techniques, and knowledge.
Create and share a body of work reflecting the unique resources of the Pembina Fibreshed.

OYOO is open to creative ideas and creations of all kinds, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

Participants must reside within the Pembina Fibreshed, which is anywhere within approximately 200 miles of the Pembina River Valley.
Participants must be a supporter member of the Pembina Fibreshed. Supporter memberships are $5 and can be obtained on the Pembina Fibreshed website.
All fibres, materials, and dyes must be natural and sourced from within the Pembina Fibreshed.
Participants will document their process and source materials throughout the project.

Materials

All materials should be sourced from within the Pembina Fibreshed (which is within ~200 miles of the Pembina River Valley), with a few exceptions.

Examples of Materials:

Wool and alpaca fleece
Dog and cat fur
Birch bark, ash wood, pine needles
Nettle, milkweed, flax
Sweet grass, lily leaves, cattails
Tanned buckskin, pelts, fish skins
Local flowers and plants for dyes

Exceptions:

Notions, such as thread and buttons
Mordants and scouring agents
Non-synthetic tanning agents
Due to limitations in our fibreshed, fibre from within the fibreshed but milled outside of the fibreshed are accepted

Note that while upcycled fabrics are a great way to promote sustainability in our wardrobes, this particular project focuses on natural materials from within the fibreshed.

Documentation

Documentation of material sources and the creative process is essential for sharing this project and local fibre craft with each other and the wider community.

Participants will document their outfit making through photos, note taking, sketches, and more throughout the making process. At the end of the year, participants will submit their photos and a short write up, which will be included in the cohort display at the 2027 Manitoba Fibre Festival, and shared on the Pembina Fibreshed website and social media.

Dates

Registration for the 2026/2027 Cohort will be open from March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026.

Online meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month, with our kick off meeting being on April 14, 2026. Additional in person meet ups and workshops will be scheduled and announced throughout the year.

If you have any questions, please reach out to oyoopembinafibreshed@gmail.com

The 2024 - 2025 cohort had an in-person display of their items at the 2025 Manitoba Fibre Festival, it was a beautiful celebration of their items and of our local textile economy. You can look through the full booklet here.

2025 OYOO Cohort

One Year One outfit
Q&A

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Whether you’re fibre curious or a seasoned artisan, this project is a great opportunity to build new skills, new connections and a truly local wardrobe.
Participants are welcome to work independently or to form a team to co-create with. Working with others with complementary skills grows community and can lessen the investment of time and expenses.
Participants must be residents of the Pembina Fibreshed, defined as approximately 200 miles from the Pembina River in Manitoba.
Monthly check-ins will be hosted online with recordings made available afterwards. These check-ins are optional, but do provide motivation and a platform for participants across the fibreshed to connect about their projects. A few opportunities to gather and learn together will also be offered throughout the year. A schedule of meetings and deadlines for the year will be made available to participants at the start of the project.
Our fibreshed contains a wealth of fibre producers! Check out the Producer Page on the Pembina Fibreshed website and the list of vendors on the Manitoba Fibre Festival website. Inquire at your local yarn shop. (If you are purchasing yarn from a local yarn store, please be sure you can identify the source of the fibre and processing as within the Pembina Fibreshed.)
Ask friends, friends of friends, and artists/crafters/makers that you know. Surf Etsy shops and see if there are local artisans you haven't discovered yet. Reach out to local farmers' organizations and market vendors or organizers. Help build the demand for local resources!
If you’re new to natural dyes, we can point you to introductory materials for foraging, growing and using dye plants. Our list of Natural Dye Resources is a great place to start. Keep in mind that you do not need to dye your work.
That is completely up to you! Knitting, crochet, weaving, felting, tanning and sewing are some great options. Consider trying a new skill!
After a year of research and work, participants will have a local outfit of their own design, new or further developed relationships with local makers and community members, a deeper understanding of the challenge of creating clothing, a deeper sense of place, and time and space to share their work. The work of the 2024 Cohort will be displayed at the Manitoba Fibre Festival in September, 2025.

The 2022 OYOO Cohort culminated in a beautiful display at the Manitoba Fibre Festival in September 2023, where over 2000 people could admire the creations, engage with the participants, and get inspired.

Read the full story of the people and projects HERE

Check out the incredible creations of the 2021 OYOO cohort below:

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