Creative Collaboration: Processes and Methods for Studying The Glasgow School of Art Fashion Show

Textiles and fashion related studies have been part of the educational activities at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) since its establishment in 1845, as a branch of the Government School of Design. In 2017, GSA celebrated the 70th anniversary of its student-led Fashion Show, introduced in 1947 as an event during Charities Week. Today, this annual event presents undergraduate fashion and textile students' designs for fundraising purposes. This presentation centers on a collaborative project between GSA's Department of Fashion and Textiles, Archives and Collections, and Alumni Relations, which resulted in a small-scale exhibition and alumni event. The project aimed to identify Fashion Show related material held by GSA Archives and Collections; locate and accession other relevant artefacts and insights from GSA alumni; construct a history of the event; examine the Fashion Show as pedagogical approach; establish areas for further investigation from studying this local event. The presentation will focus on the project methodology, which is potentially transferable to other creative arts contexts. Methods include historical and archival enquiry, documentary and visual analysis, and participant engagement towards exhibition curation. The project findings, lessons learnt from working together on the project, and areas for further investigation will be discussed