Snibston Discovery Museum 'Acceptable in the 80s' Exhibition

This exhibition presents the outcome of an exciting collaborative project between Leicestershire County Council’s Snibston Discovery Museum and The University of Huddersfield Fashion department. The NEXT archive held at the museum was the research foundation for a project with second year design and promotion students. They used the archive to research garments and promotional material from the 1980’s. The promotion students created a new fashion brand inspired by the items they had researched. The design students researched three archive garments and ephemera, which inspired and informed the designs of tailored womenswear outfits for Autumn/Winter 2013/14. Leicestershire County Council Museum Service supported the unique opportunity for direct hands on research of the NEXT archive allowing students to handle garments and other original material. This research is vital for students to understand and explore techniques, textures, cut, design proportions, styles and aesthetics first hand. This research develops a students’ skill in honest evaluation of products from a period they have not experienced first hand for themselves. The students involved in the project were all from the following courses BA(Hons) Fashion Design with Textiles BA(Hons) Fashion Design with Marketing and Promotion BA(Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotio