Thank you for your interest in sharing work with The Draft Archive. We take the toile as our starting point, the first version of a garment, shaped in plain cloth, used to test and refine an idea. Practical, visible and unresolved, the toile is designed to be unpicked, altered and reworked. Pinned, marked, adjusted, it holds the shape of an idea before it is made final. It reveals tension between body and form, fabric and intention.
For our first theme, Musings on Form & Drama, we are looking for new and unpublished work that engages directly with the toile as a theme of exploration. Each contribution must come from an encounter with the toile. Whether handled physically, documented visually or explored in writing, the toile must remain present structurally, materially or conceptually.
We welcome submissions from fashion photographers, stylists, set designers, make-up artists, digital artists, 3D artists, movement directors, fashion writers and other creatives working within or around fashion image-making. This may include but is not limited to:
- Photographic studies of the toile’s surface, restraint, volume or unfinished nature
- Styling that remains in a state of test or work-in-progress yet offers exciting wear potential
- Set design reminiscent of the toile’s balance, scale or fragility
- Movement that embodies unfinished forms: restricted, off-centre, unresolved
- Hair and make-up marked by repetition, removal or interruption
- Digital work that exposes layers, simulations, rigging or structure
- Writing that explores proportion, rhythm, repetition, weight and revision
What matters, whether interpreted directly or abstracted through your medium, is that the work remains grounded in the structure, materiality and logic of the toile. We seek work that resists polish, that honours rawness as beautiful and that speaks to the quiet resistance of the toile: its refusal to be final, its demand for attention in its temporary state, its insistence on form before finish.
We look forward to seeing how your drafts might take shape within the archive.
Deadline: 31 October 2025
info@thedraftarchive.com
Please read the Submission Guidelines or download the PDF here
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
* If you would like to pitch a project, please introduce yourself and your work, briefly explaining how it aligns with The Draft Archive ethos and themes.
* We only consider projects that are unpublished and exclusive. Your work must not have appeared elsewhere previously, including online, in print or on social media.
*All submissions (moving image, text and image-based) should include a detailed paragraph about the concept behind your project.
For text-based submissions
*Poetry or very short fiction: 300–1,000 words
*Creative non-fiction or essay: 1,500–3,500 words
*Critical piece: up to 4,000 words
For fashion editorials (5–8 looks)
* Include all relevant credits (creative team, models, agencies)
* Provide wardrobe credits and a detailed paragraph about the concept of the shoot
* Include a wide edit of images (4–5 per look) with varied crops and angles
For image-based submissions
*Submit your work as individual image files (JPG)
*Final images to be 2000px on the widest side (300 dpi) with a generous edit offering varied crops and perspectives
For moving image submissions
*up to 5 minutes (longer pieces may be considered if central to the overall concept)
*MP4 (H.264 codec preferred)
*Minimum 1080p, maximum 4K
*Include stills/short excerpts (10–30 seconds) for teaser purposes
*Credit all contributors
*If the work includes sound, you must hold the rights to the audio used
Please send your submission to info@thedraftarchive.com including your short statement and Google Drive link to your final outcomes. Please note other submission formats will not be reviewed.