Level 2 Fashion students find inspiration at Clifton Park Museum

Students on Rotherham College’s new Level 2 Fashion course, which launched this September, have taken their learning beyond the classroom with a visit to Clifton Park Museum, exploring local history and finding inspiration for their latest creative project.

The visit was organised as part of the College’s Personal Development programme and included a guided history talk exploring Clifton House, the Walker family and Rotherham’s industrial heritage.

Students also explored the museum’s upstairs galleries, including the ‘Collecting Rotherham’ exhibition, which brings together a wide range of objects collected in Rotherham and donated to the museum.

The visit also provided valuable primary research for the students’ current Fashion project, ‘Your Environment’. The project explores the world around us, from natural forms to manmade environments, encouraging students to consider how their surroundings can influence fashion design. At the museum, students could draw on the colours, textures, patterns, shapes and details of the objects and displays around them, as well as the stories and history behind them, to develop ideas for their own work.

Lecturer Sarah Gleadhill said:

“The visit gave students the opportunity to gather primary research and inspiration through discussions, viewing architecture and artwork, and exploring objects from the local community, both past and present.”

One object that particularly caught the students’ attention was a pair of Chinese foot-binding shoes from the museum’s archives. The shoes offered an insight into the history and traditions surrounding foot binding, a practice known as chánzú, and provided an unexpected source of creative research for the students.

The visit is part of the wider Personal Development programme at Rotherham College, which gives students opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and experiences alongside their course.

Student Jedd enjoyed discovering more about the Walker family and their connection to Rotherham’s industrial heritage. He said:

“Viewing the paintings, particularly the history of the Walker family and their portraits showing the generations, links to the steel industry and status.”

The visit has also given Jedd ideas that he can take directly into his ‘Your Environment’ project. He said:

“I will use the photograph images from the cabinets to design into an outfit for Grayson Perry and create samples.”

With new ideas and research to take back into the studio, students can now continue developing their ‘Your Environment’ projects and exploring how the world around them can shape their designs.

The new Level 2 Fashion course welcomes students who want to develop their creative skills and explore the world of fashion.

Find out more about Fashion courses at Rotherham College and discover where your creativity could take you.