Apothecary – the Duchess’s challenge for textile first-years

The Duchess of York was on campus for her 2018 design challenge for the University’s textile students

EVERY year, the Duchess of York sets a design challenge to textile students at the University of Huddersfield.  In 2018, they have risen to it again, with a range of colourful creations that drew inspiration from nature, literature and childhood memories.

Now the Duchess has paid her latest visit to the University, where – after a lengthy judging session – she selected her favourite interpretations of the latest brief.  First-year Textile Practice students were asked to respond to the word “Apothecary” by coming up with imagery based on old herbal recipes, wild flowers and sources such as illustrated botanical books.

The task was to create collections for the children’s market either for fashion or interiors.  The designs could be suitable for both children’s fashion and a matching garment for a doll or similarly for a bedroom interior and the interior of a dolls’ house.

Twelve highly-varied displays of work were set out for the Duchess, who spoke to all of the students about their sources of inspiration.  When she announced her decision, she praised the standard of all the work.  “Every single one has got something that I would like to see developed commercially,” she said, before announcing two joint first prize-winners, with three sharing the second spot.

In joint first place was Ellie Barrett, of Wakefield, whose project was titled Pasteli Fungi – patterns inspired by the colour and texture of mushrooms.  The designs are for little girls’ dresses.  Also tied for the top place was Chloe Glass, of Leeds.  Her project was called The Secret Garden and her designs were based on visual studies of florals.

Second places went to Ellie Brown from Cambridgeshire, whose designs for children’s bedding were inspired by the hand-painted botanical imagery found in the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady; plus Eve Davitt, of Manchester, whose wallpaper/interior designs were inspired by Nordic décor.

Also in joint second spot was Huddersfield’s Alicia Greenhalgh with a project titled Dandelion and Burdock.  It was a collection of fabrics for children’s bedrooms and dolls’ houses inspired by an old family recipe book and the classic dandelion and burdock drink still produced by local Huddersfield firm Ben Shaw.  This drink is nostalgic for Alicia because as her family would drink it with their chip shop tea!

Her display included a vintage Ben Shaw bottle and a doll’s house interior installed in a Ben Shaw crate.

The first prize winners will receive a cash award from the University and all of the students selected by the Duchess will receive a letter of commendation from her.  She was accompanied on her visit by her creative assistants Debbie Hare and Sacha Harding-Rolls, who had come to the University at the start of the academic year to discuss the brief with the students.

The Duchess was an escorted by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Bob Cryan, and she met key members of staff.  They included Matthew Taylor, who is the Course Leader for BA/BSc Textile Practice and who led the design project, and Nicola Redmore, Department Lead for Teaching and Learning, plus Professor Parik Goswami, who is  Head of Department of Fashion and Textiles at University of Huddersfield.  (See a highlight of the event in the video below).