On Friday 28th November, I travelled with the girls in my year doing textiles GCSE to the Victoria and Albert Museum. When we first arrived, my first impression was that we were going to be touring a museum of art and design and then the day would be over, but that was far from the truth. Our first activity was an ethical fashion workshop hosted by a few members from the charity Traid. Traid aim to stop clothes from being throw away and turn clothes waste into funds and resources to reduce the environmental and social impacts of our clothes. We were given an old men’s shirt and a ribbon and then we were sent to design a top, skirt or dress with it. My partner and I designed a top (in the picture at the top of the article) which we were very proud of as when we were first given the task, we just stared blankly at the mannequin! The workshop was a fantastic opportunity to increase our knowledge about ethical fashion and how we can re purpose our clothes, changing the purpose of them entirely.
Throughout the rest of the day, we toured the museum and listened to two lectures; one on ethical fashion and the other on fashion photography. They were both immensely informative and I learned a lot about how to be sustainable with fashion and how you can survive in the fashion industry. The museum also had a creative quarter where we could meet designers, scientists and artists to find out more about different education and career pathways.
I highly recommend a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum because it has exhibitions, displays, evening events, courses and workshops, open studios, tours and much more. If u are a lover of art or even have a slight interest in design then the Victoria and Albert Museum is the place to go- there is a reason why it is the world’s greatest museum of art and design.
By Jenai Pinnock, Newstead Wood School
