Image: Karin Human (University Of Salford)
Fashion And Freedom is a new exhibition in Manchester which celebrates the fashion worn by women from 1914-1918. Students from our BA Hons Fashion design programme were selected to take part in the collaboration and exhibit alongside esteemed designers like Vivienne Westwood, Holly Fulton and Roksanda.
The brief for students was to interpret the theme of 'Restriction/Release' as a reflection of the limitations in womens fashion before the war, and how silhouettes and designs relaxed when women entered the workplace.
As part of his amazing exhibition, we have received great praise from a variety of publications - see below.
"These topics are also reflected in the impressive creations by students from fashion schools in Manchester, Salford, Leeds and London. Responding to the theme of 'Restriction / Release,' student research uncovers the history of women's lunchtime football clubs — intended to build strength for manual labour; the treatment of women in workhouses and asylums during wartime; the design of dazzle camouflage warships; the restriction of corsets and crinolines; and the martial arts training undertaken by the Suffragettes."
Source: i-D Vice
"Fashion students from five institutions – Leeds College of Art, London College of Fashion, Manchester School of Art and the universities of Salford and Westminster – were also invited to create new works responding to the themes of pre-war “restriction” and post-war “release”. Perhaps the most playful design comes from Salford’s Sarah Curtis, who discovered that women played football to stay fit while working in munitions factories during WWI. The “munitionettes” formed their own teams; the star player was Lily Parr, who scored over 1,000 goals. Parr acted as Curtis’s muse for her shorts and boots, combined with a smock top that transforms with movement: the ultimate combination of fashion and freedom."
Fashion & Freedom is at the Manchester Art Gallery from 13 May – 27 November 2016. Then touring.
Source: The Guardian