FABRICATE

Over the next two academic years, the Fashion-Architecture Research Cluster FABRICATE will develop research into the histories, traditions, and cultural specificity of situated fashion design in Leeds. This will culminate in a pioneering graduate fashion event in Leeds city centre that will be the Northern counterpart to London’s Graduate Fashion Week, with a launch date of June 2025.

As well as showcasing academic research, this network will also support emerging graduate designers by connecting them to industry. It is proposed that this will become a multi-institutional annual event, involving regional educational and industry partners, grassroots associations, non-governmental organisations, local councils, and central governments who implement public policy. 

The two-year aims of our research cluster are:

• To produce research into the relationship between fashion and architecture in Leeds
• To produce an industry facing graduate event, at LSA and/or a culturally significant venue/s in Leeds 

We will also aim to: 

• Engage in research with global fashion brands such as Alexander McQueen  
  
  
• Draw down funding from (e.g.,) UKRI, AHRC, BA/Leverhulme, Laudes Foundation, RIBA 
  
  
• Develop KTPs with (e.g.,) Burberry, MAKE, EPA 
  
  
• Engage with practice to ensure inclusivity and support for junior practitioners 
  
  
• Advertise PhD studentships as support for funded projects 
  
  
• Deliver seminars as requested, supported by 1:1s 

We will invite proposals for research projects, including practice-based research, which may relate to the following: 

• The cultural histories of Leeds 
• The relationship of architecture and fashion in Leeds 
• The relationship of Leeds to global fashion capitals 
• ‘The Northern Powerhouse’ 
• The style-languages of local subcultures 
• The changing nature of fashion and the urban ecology with culture of materials and research into new materials 
• ‘Branded Places’ (Julier 2000: 117-143) 
• Stories of local consumers, usership, upcycling, and slow-fashion 
• Sub-culturally significant buildings in Leeds 
• The histories of fashion in Leeds, including textile manufacture 
• The histories of consumerism in Leeds 
• The relationship between fashion brands to Leeds 
• Psycho-geographies of Leeds 
• Proposals for site-specific venue designs for the Graduate Event 
• Fashion films, photo-essays, photography, or other designs for the Graduate Fashion: North event