Research News Last updated 06 February
Birmingham City University (BCU) has launched a new exhibition at its City Centre Campus that showcases the innovative digital research that played such a key role in its hugely successful Fashion Police research project.
Run in partnership with the West Midlands Police Museum, Fashion Police brought the history of police uniforms to life through fashion, technology and digital storytelling – and featured an iconic catwalk at the old lock-up in Steelhouse Lane.
The new Fashion Police exhibition displays include digitally reconstructed historical garments, physical uniforms, archival artefacts, interactive visual storytelling.
“Heritage projects like this create unique opportunities and experiences for our students, and several technical innovations developed through the project have fed directly into our teaching,” said Dr Mathew Randal, Senior Lecturer in Computing and Digital Technology at BCU.
“It includes the development of parametric clothing for MetaHumans in the Unreal engine.
“This allows students to take clothing assets and automatically fit them to different characters or digital models.
“This is another example of how BCU is incorporating STEAM into our teaching and research projects, bringing arts and technology together in new and exciting ways.”
The research project, supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund, brings students from a range of disciplines, including fashion and computing, to collaborate and explore two centuries of uniforms.
Through archival research, digital scanning, and garment reconstruction, the project has created an accessible, digitised collection which is being used in exhibitions and community activities.
“It’s vital that we find fresh and engaging ways to connect with people over 200 years of policing history,” said Corinne Brazier, Heritage Manager at West Midlands Police Museum.
“This exhibition represents months of hard work, detailed research and true collaboration.
“Each recreated uniform tells a powerful story – not just of policing, but of the communities we serve.”
The exhibition will run from Thursday 29th January - Friday 20th February 2026 at BCU’s Parkside Gallery.