Families and kids can experience a unique piece of global art at the Museum of Brisbane when The Red Dress exhibition makes its first Australian appearance from July 2026 to September 2026. This award-winning project showcases incredible collaborative creativity, uniting 380 international embroiderers to create one extraordinary Guinness World Record garment.
The Red Dress exhibition
Collaborative creativity from 380 embroiderers in 51 countries interwoven into one garment.
The Red Dress is an award-winning global community art project conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod, spanning 14 years and uniting 380 embroiderers across 51 countries into a single, extraordinary garment. Museum of Brisbane and Warwick Art Gallery will jointly exhibit the work in a significant coup for Queensland, marking its first ever showing in Australia.
Originally designed to spark conversations about identity, the project has evolved into a powerful platform for self-expression, amplifying marginalised voices and addressing social issues through traditional embroidery and intricate stitchwork. From 2009 to 2023, pieces of the dress travelled the globe, embroidered by 367 women, 11 men and two non-binary artists from 51 countries, among them refugees, asylum seekers, survivors of war, and disadvantaged women worldwide. The project carries local resonance too, with Brisbane connections woven throughout.
Constructed from 87 panels of burgundy silk dupion, the completed dress weighs 6.8kg and holds a Guinness World Record for the largest collaborative embroidery project. It is estimated to contain between one and 1.5 billion stitches, each one weighted with personal story and signifying the enduring link between artisans, first-time embroiderers, and diverse audiences around the world.
Brisbane’s AllThreads community created a detailed and highly skilled embroidery for Australia’s contribution to the global project, capturing the country’s unique landscape, flora and fauna.
On display in Australia for the first time, textile and embroidery artists and general audiences alike are invited to marvel at the delicate details of this deeply thought-provoking work. All 141 embroiderers with commissioned contributions received compensation, along with a share of exhibition fees and merchandise sales. The Red Dress has previously been exhibited in major galleries and at political gatherings internationally.
Plan your visit
When: Saturday 25th July – Sunday 13th September 2026, 10am – 5pm daily.
Where: Museum of Brisbane, Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, 64 Adelaide St, Brisbane City 4000
Cost: Free entry
More information here
