University News Last updated 09 May 2017
March was Collaboration month in the Faculty of Art, Design and Media and the School of Fashion and Textiles took full advantage, bringing together a variety of student skills from many different creative backgrounds.
Collaborating with the School of Media, 154 BA (Hons) Fashion Design students took part in the Magpie project, creating weird and wonderful sculpted pieces of clothing, taking inspiration from film, music and art.
The Brief:
Students were asked to gather a collection of research materials taken from an eclectic list of films, music and artistic movements to fill their sketchbooks with ideas; just as a magpie would collect objects to furnish its nest.
The project gave students the chance to think about design a little differently and to be more daring with their designs.
Emma Buckley, who participated in the project, really enjoyed the challenge;
"I enjoyed collaborating with other students because it felt more like an industry brief, and the fashion video was a lot of fun! If a project like this came up again I would most definitely take part. My advice to future students would be, really push yourself as there’s no boundaries and it’s not often you get such an experimental brief."
The collaboration part of the project happened when the Fashion students worked together with fellow Media students, forming a collection of talented individuals who created the catwalk fashion film you see below.
From developing an eclectic body of research, (hence the Magpie title), to creating their initial designs, sketchbook concepts and experimenting with fabrics, to the final manufacture and creation of their ideas, the project delivered a professional working atmosphere with a professional standard outcome.
Andry Nganjo, who also took part in the project said:
The Motive:
The project wasn’t only about having fun and thinking about design in a different way, it was also a way to prepare students for industry. Jason Johns MA(RCA), Fashion Design lecturer and Module Leader of the design project stated:
"In industry, you have to work with stylists, models, photographers, filmmakers and so on, so what a brilliant place to start! The project allows our students to understand how other departments work. They can then relate, make contact and start networking to achieve better outcomes and a higher realm of possibilities."
Jason said that a wide variety of staff and students from both schools were involved:
The Conclusion:
Dave Remes, the overall project facilitator commented:
Whilst the students have now finished their collaborations, Jason is excited that the project is far from finished:
