From Vivienne Westwood to Alexander McQueen, the UK has had its fair share of world renowned fashion designers.
But could these Grove Academy pupils be the next British export in the world of fashion?
The cohort have just completed a 10-week taster session of a pioneering clothes-making course, adopted by the Broughty Ferry school to help boost engagement and aspiration amongst pupils.
The course, called Kindred Clothing, is run by Dundee charity Front Lounge and takes learners through the key stages of the garment production process.
Pupils were taught how to arm-knit, from the design process and technique through to the actual knitting itself.
As a result they’ve created an “amazing” collection of products, from blankets and scarves to tops.
“I never thought knitting would be so much fun”
One of those involved in the project, S2 pupil Federica Peebles, said: “I never thought knitting would be so much fun.
“First we did hand knitting and then we moved onto sewing where we learned about colours and designs.
“I never had a specific interest in fashion (before the project) but now I really like it. I do want to take fashion as a subject (in the future)”.
Lily Holmes, also in S2, spoke of the bond she now shares with the other pupils who were on the project, some of whom she had never met before getting involved.
She said: “We got told by the teacher that we were picked for the Kindred Clothing (project) and I thought I’d give it a try.
“If one of us was really struggling then other one would help them out, and that was really good because we built a bond with each other.
“We hadn’t met each other before this project!”
Long-term plans
The school hopes to run a second block for another batch of pupils early next year and, in the longer-term, potentially incorporate the full Kindred Clothing award into an alternative curriculum within the school.
And it’s this kind of curriculum diversification that the school feels could be a solution to improving pupil engagement as education looks to recover from the pandemic.
Lyndsey Lauder, principal teacher of guidance at Grove, said: “Kindred Clothing were looking at how they could implement the programme for younger pupils to build up skills and knowledge and that suited us.”
“So we picked the second years because that’s been the year who are probably, because of all the Covid issues, struggling.
“One pupil commented that she was only really coming into school because of the project, so it’s having a massive impact on their confidence and their engagement.
“As a school we have promoted a diverse curriculum that doesn’t always focus on the academic subjects, so in some ways Covid has helped that.”
