Year 12 Textiles Research Trip, June 9th 2022

On Thursday 9th June, the Year 12 students went on a Fashion & Textiles research trip into London. Our first stop was the flagship Alexander McQueen shop on Old Bond Street. Here we looked at fabulous fashion – a cloud inspired shirt which costs £690, amazing brightly coloured evening dresses and intricately embroidered gowns and artwork inspired by them. There was a really amazing display of masks, hairpieces, drawings, woven hangings … a great start to our afternoon in London.

We then headed to High Street Kensington to visit the Design Museum. Here we looked at sustainable fashion by fashion designer Bethany Williams.

This new exhibition embraces the discussion of social and environmental issues. There were some fabulous fashion design creations using materials like postal bags, denim, old ribbon and foil, packaging, to design modern and stylish streetwear.

Part of the exhibition showed Williams’ response to the pandemic, and she created PPE wear for hospital workers in the Midlands.

The last stop on our trip was Japan House. Here we saw beautiful and delicate Japanese artefacts, fabrics, food packaging, books, and kitchenware. We then went in to see an exhibition, Symbiosis: Living Island.

This living art project has transformed the landscape of the island of Inujima and enriched the lives of its inhabitants. There were models of buildings and structures in graphic materials, and a calm atmosphere with Japanese music and photos of this serene island.

The day was a really good mix of culture, textiles, fashion, and art, and the students were really positive and mature. We all enjoyed our day in London and were hopefully inspired by it.

Therese Hayhurst