·      NEW AVENUES FOR FASHION RETAIL.

·      EVERY PROJECT IS A SHOP, OR IS VISUALIZED IN TERMS OF A RETAIL SETTING/ ENVIRONMENT:

·      THE FOCUS OF THE 3^rd YEAR (TO REPLACE A CATWALK SHOW) IS AN ACTUAL SHOP, HIRED/SPONSORED RETAIL SPACE IN A CENTRAL LONDON LOCATION FOR 1 WEEK IN FEBRUARY, JUNE OR SEPTEMBER: A BRANDED BOUTIQUE BOTH EXHIBITING & SELLING. 

·      RETAILING FASHION ‘IDEAS’, NOT JUST FASHION PRODUCT/ CLOTHES.

·      WITHIN A GLASS-FRONTED SHOP FORMAT SPACE, THERE IS ROOM FOR DISPLAY, EXHIBITION, INSTALLATION, LIVE EVENTS, BOUTIQUE STYLE CATWALK, TRANSMISSION & IMAGE PROJECTION, MERCHANDISING, CLOTHING RANGES, ACCESSORIES, BRANDING, BUYING, SELLING, SHOP WINDOW & FIXTURE DESIGN, STYLING, BROCHURES, PRESS & RETAIL PRIVATE VIEW LAUNCHES, RECRUITMENT DAYS, CORPORATE HOSPITALITY FOR SPONSORS & PARTNERS & COLLABORATORS.

·      THE INDIVIDUAL SHOP PROJECTS & ACTUAL FINAL YEAR SHOP ALL HAVE A CAMPAIGN AT THEIR END, ie. THEY DO NOT END WITH THE COMPLETION OF GARMENTS, THEY END WITH ITS MEDIATION/ COMMUNICATION/ PROMOTION/ RETAIL SIMULATION.

·      ALL DESIGN PROJECTS ARE THERFORE BUSINESS SIMULATIONS.

·      THE RETAIL FOCUS IS NOT LIMITED TO UK HIGH STREETS, BUT TO GLOBAL MARKETS BOTH ACTUAL & VIRTUAL. IT IS ALSO NOT LIMITED TO KNOWN RETAIL MODELS OR COMPONENTS.

·      THE RETAIL FOCUS DOES NOT EXCLUDE THE TRANSFERAL OF LIMITED EDITION/SPECIALIST/ TRADITIONAL/ LUXURY/ AVANTE-GARDE/ COUTURE INFLUENCES INTO THE MAINSTREAM.

·      THE NEW HIGH STREET IS POST NEO-CLASSICAL: A MIXTURE OF HIGH END & LOW END, CONSERVATIVE & RADICAL, BRITISH & FOREIGN, LUXURY BRANDS & THRIFT STORE FINDS, BRAND SPANKING NEW & AUTHENTIC SECOND HAND, TOP-TO-TOE OFF THE PEG LOOKS & CUSTOMIZED DO-IT-YOURSELF LOOKS: UTILITARIAN, TRIBAL, GANG-LIKE, GROUPS & MOVEMENTS. AN ENDLESS MIX OF CULTURAL IDENTITIES, ALL PLAYED OUT AT STREET LEVEL ON A TARMAC CATWALK.

·      TAKE THE EMPHASIS OFF ‘DESIGNING’ BEING ONLY THE INITIAL STAGE OF DESIGN. THE TECHNICAL & MEDIATIVE PROCESSES MUST BE EXPLORED WITH EQUAL CREATIVE MERIT:

·      FASHION STUDENTS AT HERFORDSHIRE ARE NOT ‘DIVERSIFYING’ FROM FASHION DESIGN BY EXPLORING THESE FURTHER CREATIVE PROCESSES; THEY ARE ‘ASSIMILATING’ THEM TOGETHER & APPROACHING EACH WITH EQUAL VISION & CREATIVITY.

·      THE STUDENTS MUST BE SHOWN ROLE MODELS & BE INTRODUCED INTO THE FASHION NETWORK FROM THE OUTSET.

·      CREATIVE CLAUSTROPHOBIA ( ‘SO MUCH OF EVERYTHING ALREADY OUT THERE’) DEMANDS THAT WE FIND NEW SPACES, MODELS, ENVIRONMENTS & AVENUES, AND UTILIZE THE GAPS BOTH BETWEEN & ABOVE THE EXISTING STRUCTURES.

·      TECHNOLOGY IS SEEN AS FAST, BUT THE IDEAS THAT NECESSITATE THE TECHNOLOGY ARE EVEN FASTER. CREATIVITY WITHIN TECHNIQUE CAN LEAD TO NEW METHODOLOGIES, PROCESSES, EQUIPMENT, TECHNOLOGY & MACHINES.

·      FASHION HAS TO BE CONSTRUCTED & MEDIATED BEYOND CLOTHES RAILS, CATWALKS, SHOP WINDOWS & DISPLAY MANEQUINNS.

·      DESIGN RESEARCH HAS TO BE INCLUSIVE. THE STUDENTS HAVE TO SEE HOW THEIR OWN PERSONAL SPACE CONNECTS OR LINKS TO PUBLIC SPACE, THAT THERE WAY OF THINKING IS VALID, THAT TRESPASS IS ACCEPTABLE, & THAT THEIR IDEAS CAN INFLUENCE CHANGE & BE EXPANDED OUTWARDS.

Professor Julian Roberts, July 2004.