We are GIG
Written by Melanie Chan
We are excited to invite all GIG members and Makerspaces based in French-speaking countries, or those who are part of Francophone communities, to join our first Francophone GIG Community Call in collaboration with the African Makerspace Network (AMN). Over the years, the GIG network has continued to grow across Africa, Europe, and beyond. We believe … Continue reading “GIG Community Call: Francophone GIG Community Call”
Written by Ricardo Ruiz
Nathan Parker, GIG member since 2017, is back to walk us through four years of work most of the network has only heard about in fragments, the Open Hardware Manager. Nathan traces the story back to Kathmandu, where he met Geraldine de Bastion and Andrew Lamb. He had just come from two months in the Black Rock … Continue reading “GIG Community Call: Open Hardware Manager – Connecting Designs to Distributed Manufacturing”
Written by Melanie Chan
Co-hosted with the European Crafts Alliance (ECA), our upcoming make-a-thek community call explores how craft and maker culture contribute to community building, resilience, and social inclusion. Together, we will look at how creative initiatives become spaces for civic engagement, shared learning, and collaborative production – through the lenses of People, Place, and Resources. To ground … Continue reading “15th July 2026 Community Call: Crafting Connected Communities (ECA x GIG )”
Written by Melanie Chan
Somewhere between freshly roasted coffee, invigorating workshops, and the formation of a midday Capoeira circle (😲), something clicked into place. An annual highlight for the GIG community, this year’s GIG Week was a reminder of why the network exists: not to simply talk about changing the world, but to be surrounded and inspired by people … Continue reading “Building community resilience: GIG weekend 2026”
Written by Ricardo Ruiz
Somewhere in a library in Punggol, Singapore, a machine the size of a small suitcase is pressing dots into a sheet of aluminium — dots that a blind person can read. The machine did not come from a manufacturer. It was built from 3D-printed parts, stepper motors, and a solenoid, following instructions available for free … Continue reading “From Bhutan to Singapore: spreading an open-source Braille printer across Southeast Asia and to the world”
Written by Ricardo Ruiz
The fashion industry has a waste problem. Every year, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated globally, while garment use has decreased by 36 percent since 2000, meaning clothes are being made faster and discarded sooner than ever before. Waste is built into the process from the start, where roughly 15% of fabric used … Continue reading “Local Hubs, Global Impact: The Blueprint for a Sustainable Fashion Revolution”
Written by Nicolas Martinez
This year’s GIG week was welcomed by a very special and exciting gathering. On Sunday, May 25th, GIG members from across the world gathered at the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin for the first GIG reunion of 2025, a dynamic showcase of open, circular, and regenerative innovation that set the tone for the week ahead. Across … Continue reading “GIG Week 2025 Recap: Showcase of Open, Circular, and Regenerative Innovation”
Written by Melanie Chan
Co-hosted with Fab City Foundation, our upcoming make-a-thek community call brings together practitioners, makers, cultural organisations, and circular economy actors to explore how local ecosystems can support more circular textile practices and collective action. We will draw on two grounded examples to spark the conversation. In the Bergisches Region, Adriana Cabrera’s work builds on second-hand … Continue reading “22nd April 2026 Community Call: Towards Textile Circularity – Building Regional Impact Networks”
Written by Melanie Chan
We’re excited to invite you to a special make-a-thek community call ahead of Fashion Revolution Week 2026. The meetup will bring together library practitioners, cultural institutions, and circular fashion advocates to explore how communities can be mobilized around more sustainable fashion systems. Together with Ariane Piper (Fashion Revolution Germany) and Agata Zgliczynska (Circular Fashion Foundation … Continue reading “18th March 2026 Community Call: Driving Collective Action in Libraries”
Written by Melanie Chan
We’re excited to kick off our first community call of 2026 with a conversation on circular and regenerative fashion systems. Join makers, designers, innovators, and researchers from around the world to explore powerful approaches to sustainability in fashion and material innovation. Co-hosted by Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) and the Fab City Foundation (FCF) as part … Continue reading “21st Jan Community Call: Textile-to-textile & circular fashion in Asia”
