Home to one of the largest collections of clothing and fashion accessories in Britain, with a range of more than 20,000 items from the 17th century to the present day, the gallery will be redesigned by Manchester Metropolitan University’s (MMU) MA design students.
A new design will be delivered through the Manchester Design LAB, which is a 48-week MA program directly connected to the design industry.
Students are expected to create designs that will raise the gallery’s profile and reinterpret the collection.
Senior manager at the Gallery of Costume, Dr Miles Lambert, said the school was chosen based on its embroidery degree course and strong fashion department.
We have always collaborated with MMU because it has the only graduate embroidery degree course in the country, within a very strong fashion department. From this perspective, MMU is our chosen partner, he said.
The gallery is currently closed for major rebuilding work that includes a complete rewire of the Grade II listed 1760s Platt Hall, and a new boiler and heating system.
MMU project leader Alice Kettle explained the significance the opportunity will have on the design students involved in the process.
The gallery is a fantastic resource, not least from a research perspective, but much of the collection is hidden away. The students are looking at presenting ideas within Platt Hall, outside in Platt Fields, how the collection is promoted around Manchester, and also how to present a virtual presence. For our design students, this is an ideal opportunity to provide real-life consultancy as part of their studies which ultimately boosts their employability, she said.
The building will provide new teaching facilities as the ground floor will be improved to provide a lecture arena that will double as a research/teaching area with handling material and study tables.
