Textile Design students work with Liberty London to create collection based on a real-world muse
The winning students will receive an exclusive trip to tour Liberty’s headquarters
By Sarah Huxley | Published on 15 March 2021
Categories: Current students; School of Art & Design;
Second year BA (Hons) Textile Design students were briefed to select a muse, imagining the fashion they wear, the interior in which they live, their personality and their life. They were then tasked with developing a colour story and a textile collection in response to this muse. The students had three categories of product areas to choose from for their collection: fashion, accessories and embroideries, interiors, wallpapers and rugs or decorative textiles and artwork.
This was a valuable opportunity for students to work with an iconic luxury British brand, who are well renowned for supporting British artists and designers. The winning students will receive an exclusive trip to London to tour Liberty London’s headquarters and meet members of the team.
A team of students including Molly Francis, Francesca Power, Yas Sketchley and Arabella Uemlianin were announced the winners with their concept which focused on the muse Edith Sitwell. We spoke to Francesca Power about her experience of the project: “It was such an inspiring brief set by Liberty London, we selected Edith Sitwell as our muse, an English Dame, Eccentric, Poet and Aristocrat. And based our concept around her as the host of this surrealist gothic slightly grotesque post-Covid banquet"
"The opportunity to work with such a prestigious British brand was so exciting. And our concept sought to really treasure that sense of heritage, sentimentality and luxury that Liberty is so well known for"
"It was challenging to do an entire group project, never meeting in person, without any studio to use. However we managed to collectively put our heads together, collaborate, share, encourage one another and having strong vision tied everyone’s work together. It’s personally given me such a boost in confidence, to be awarded winners by the Liberty Team. All our hard-work was so appreciated and understood by the team"
A silk scarf design which formed part of the student's collection
Molly Francis commented: “I really enjoyed working on this project and collaborating with other designers on my course to create our collection for Liberty London. It was a great opportunity to work alongside the company and get a real insight into working for a market. I am so pleased with the results and that I got to share this experience with my team. This project has also made me push myself as a designer and I have learned new skills and techniques all through working online.”
Fashion, Textiles and Knitwear lecturer Georgie Worker explained more about live projects and how they enrich our undergraduate courses: “The live projects on textile design are always a highly rewarding part of the course experience. Given the additional challenges the students are currently facing we were inspired by the resilience, determination and creativity shown throughout the project. A team-based project in lockdown, has given our students valuable experience of coordinating and communicating targeted, creative responses to design briefs, and the value of effective teamwork. We are honoured to work with some of the best in the industry, and their generosity with their experience, time, and presenting opportunities, is appreciated and valued greatly.”