Worth200- My FOTP Journey (Autumn 2024)

Worth 200 Logo

Hi, my name’s Charlie and I’m interested in all things film, history and journalism related. I was part of the Lincoln BFI Film Academy in 2023-24 and through that experience worked with Rob from Paradigm Arts - the leader of the course and collaborator on Future of the Past. In October 2024, I was invited back to mentor the next year’s cohort while also helping with a film for the Young Journalist Academy. This was my first experience of interviewing; unsurprisingly (after writing blogs and articles for many years), I really enjoyed it. Around this time, I also heard about a heritage project taking place in Bourne, which obviously sparked my interest. Not knowing much about Charles Worth or the town’s history, I started researching and composing questions I hoped to answer throughout my involvement in the Worth 200 Celebrations. Since October, I have interviewed over a dozen devoted people in connection with the event- and through these perspectives have gained so much knowledge and insight into Worth’s legacy and its wider impact on the Bourne community. 

After grasping a basic history of Charles Worth and his impact on modern day fashion, we went with a small team of interested ex-BFI graduates to interview local historian Jenny Lister. Through this, we learnt about Worth’s rags to riches story, and got some useful context about his family background and their potential influence or impact on his career. It was particularly interesting to hear about Charles’ father William- a solicitor who left the family when Worth was just a teenager. Jenny, unlike many sources online that describe him as “dissolute”, strongly believed that William was actually struggling with what would have been seen in the modern day as mental health issues. It was from this humble lower-middle class background that Worth initially became a printer’s apprentice, then went to work in the department store Swan and Edgar in London, and then finally moved to Paris where his fashion business really flourished. Together with his wife Marie, the first ever fashion model and his brand ambassador, they developed the House of Worth. Talking with Jenny gave me lots of insight into Worth’s drive and ambition, and also more information about Marie who seems to have been equally involved in the business but given very little credit. 

By Charlie White.