Degree Show project aims to break down gender stigmas around skills like sewing
An Edinburgh Napier graphic design student is aiming to break down the gender stigmas around repair skills by encouraging men to pick up a needle and get into mending.
Fourth year Cameron Angus has this week unveiled his Men-ding project at Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show – its annual celebration of creative talent from its School of Arts and Creative Industries.
Cameron, 22 years-old from Edinburgh, has developed a subscription model that consists of monthly, themed kits that pair a stereotypically masculine concept with a sustainable skill.
Examples of the kits include ‘Pitches and Stitches’ which allows a subscriber to learn the traditional Japanese embroidery technique of sashiko to fix a football kit as well as a gym-themed kit called ‘Muscles and Mending’.
Each kit includes the materials needed to get started, along with a patch to stitch onto a tote bag as a badge of honour.
The visual identity uses bold type, playful language, and a ‘handcrafted’ touch to make repair skills feel accessible, achievable, and fun.
To shape the project’s direction, Cameron held a free embroidery workshop with 15, primarily male participants, to learn essential repair skills in a collaborative and creative environment.
Supported by female volunteers from Edinburgh’s Zero Waste Hub, ‘Patch It Up’ saw participants learn a range of embroidery techniques by personalising their own tote bag and being able to stich their name by the end of the session.
Alongside learning techniques, the workshop also focused on bridging gender and age gaps between the participants and the female volunteers to spark conversation on the longstanding stigmas surrounding skills like sewing.
Cameron said: “The idea for my project came to me when I was travelling in Australia last year. I ripped my jeans, and I really wanted to repair them when I was on the trip, but I didn’t really have any mending skills or know of a space to learn where to start.
“I started looking into it and my research found that many boys and young men are missing out on learning basic repair skills like sewing and mending, with them often excluded from these activities at school or home. On top of this, persistent gender stigmas suggest the skills are not for men, creating an invisible barrier that stops many from even trying.
“It was my mission with this project to begin to change these perceptions.
“In terms of the kits, I’ve tried to make each part feel fun and inviting, showing how playful design can make learning feel less like a lesson and more like an experience. It incorporates a lot of humour too – I really just wanted to persuade people to get stuck-in!
“The feedback I’ve had from the workshops has been overwhelmingly positive too. I can’t thank the volunteers enough for their help on the day, and places like The Edinburgh Remakery have been so helpful in my own mending journey too.
“I truly believe that Men-ding has real potential to be scaled into schools, youth groups, and community settings. It can encourage lifelong learning, self-sufficiency, and pride in these practical skills.
“It responds directly to the brief by helping start confidence-led learning and stopping the shame that so often blocks engagement, one stitch at a time.
“If there’s demand for a second workshop, then I’d definitely consider keeping them going as my time at Edinburgh Napier comes to an end.”
Cameron’s project – and dozens of others – are now on display at Edinburgh Napier’s Merchiston campus as part of its annual Degree Show. The show runs from 30 May to 6 June.
More details can be found at www.napier.ac.uk/degreeshow.