Fashion straight from the drawing board

Today’s annual Design Day was the chance for crafty fashionistas in Year 9 to make and show off their dream clothing creations. This was a fashion show with a twist - all the clothes being modelled were entirely made out of paper in just a few hours.

Design Day, organised by the Sheffield Girls’ Art Department, aims to show pupils on the verge of choosing which GCSEs to study that having a qualification in Art can open up a whole range of career paths that they might not have known about. Having an engaging, interactive look into Art as a potential career gives pupils a new perspective on the subject and has previously been shown to have an impact on the GCSE options pupils pick.

In the morning the girls got a front row seat at presentations from artists in a range of sectors, including representatives from the Institute of Arts at Sheffield Hallam University and Falmouth University, Zanthe Wray from Peak Architects, and alumna and Landscape Architect student at Sheffield Hallam University Amy Marsden. The talks encouraged pupils who might be hesitant to pursue Art past Year 9 to consider giving it a try, educating them about the different skills that studying Art can offer past the aesthetic alone.

Following a practical workshop teaching pupils how to craft extravagant items with just paper, teams got started on the exciting Eco-Accessory Design Challenge: with mood boards for inspiration and a theme related to nature, like Fire, Flora or Winter, the girls got started on designing and crafting their own clothing with just the paper, scissors and crafting supplies available. Even though they had less than three hours, all teams made stunning products, ready to be shown off in a catwalk presentation in the Main Hall.

Visiting artist Amy said, “You can see how much everyone’s enjoyed today. It seems like today’s really had an influence on them, so more girls might consider choosing to study Art later on.