Short Documentary following refugees in fashion premieres at Oscar and BAFTA qualifying LA Shorts Fest following critical acclaim from its world premiere at UK’s Raindance Film Festival
FABRIC, a moving short documentary that sheds light on the story of a Paris fashion atelier which builds pathways for refugees in the world of French couture and society, will have its Los Angeles premiere at the 30th Los Angeles International Short Film Festival on 30th July. LA Shorts, the longest running short film festival in LA, is an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences OSCAR® and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) qualifying film festival.
The LA premiere follows the documentary’s world premiere at the 34th Raindance Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Documentary Short. FABRIC received four stars reviews during its run at Raindance with We Love Short Film noting: “Elegant, compassionate and quietly inspiring, FABRIC is a documentary that leaves a lasting impression.”
Directed by Award-winning documentary filmmaker Anabelle Marshall, FABRIC takes audiences behind the scenes of Espero Atelier, a Paris-based social enterprise that trains refugees in haute couture tailoring and supports their pathways into employment within the fashion industry. With exclusive access to the atelier, the France-UK coproduction follows refugee artisans in the creation of a unique fashion collection to be showcased at the Musée d’Orsay on the eve of Haute Couture Week.
Inspired by the work of the Paris-based non-profit fashion collective Espero and shaped by the realities of ongoing global displacement, FABRIC seeks to humanise the refugee experience while challenging prevailing narratives surrounding migration and integration.
Produced by Tiny Circus Productions and Hemeroscope Studios, FABRIC is a UK-France co-production led by global majority female filmmakers committed to telling stories that foster empathy and deepen understanding across cultures.
The documentary presents the work of Maya Persaud, co-founder of Espero Atelier, whose organisation creates opportunities for refugees and marginalised communities through fashion education, skills development and employment. Persaud is an American based in Paris for many decades and former fashion model with deep ties to the luxury fashion world.
The team behind FABRIC followed Espero team members Ibrahim, Suad, Haider and Sumaiya, and Cynthia – from Guinea, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Congo respectively – in the lead-up to the landmark show, tracing their personal and professional growth and revealing how Espero’s work has helped them integrate into French society.
Alongside Persaud and the artisans of Espero Atelier, the film features voices from the worlds of fashion and culture, including Catherine Brickhill, former Alexander McQueen and Givenchy designer and mentor at Espero, and Sylvain Amic, President of the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie at the time of filming.
FABRIC will screen at the 2026 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival
