Designs for new products and services, textiles, interiors and fashion garments are among the projects on display at this year’s postgraduate degree show at Heriot-Watt’s School of Textiles and Design in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.
The Masters Degree Show 2024 features projects from 30 students from countries including the United States, Sri Lanka, India, China, Nigeria, Scotland, Pakistan, Poland and Turkey.
The show is open to the public for one day on Friday 9 August (10am to 4pm), following a private showing on Thursday 8 August for industry partners and friends and family.
Visitors can enjoy the show for free at the High Mill Building in Nether Road, Galashiels, the converted textile mill where the school is based.
The students showcasing their work are graduating from four postgraduate degrees – two Master of Arts (MA) programmes and two Master of Science (MSc) programmes. The MA programmes are Fashion and Textiles Design and Interior Architecture and Design. The MSc programmes are Design Management and Fashion and Textile Management.
MA Fashion and Textiles Design student Rebecca Welsh, from Dunlop in East Ayrshire, Scotland, has created woven cotton textiles that celebrate the life of her late father, David.
“I used objects owned by him as the main source of drawings for my sketchbook,” Rebecca explained. “Each item has a memory tied to it and colours, motifs and patterns in my textile designs evoke those memories. One of my motifs is a frog, which is inspired by an origami frog dad made for me while we waited in accident and emergency when I was younger, after breaking my arm.”
Rebecca previously studied a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Design for Textiles at Heriot-Watt’s School of Textiles & Design and it was during her final year of this degree that her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“He passed away shortly after my graduation in 2018,” Rebecca said. “I wanted to continue weaving through my Masters degree because I wanted to create a positive memory after such a difficult final year. Dad also helped restore a loom for me – he was a civil engineer and was fascinated by the technical process.”
Rebecca’s textiles are designed to be used for tote bags and small handbags, and feature bands of colour combining different check, tartan and geometric motifs.
The pathway has six career progression steps, including goal setting, leadership training and access to resources such as career accelerators and mentorship, and is based on Shamita’s own experience at work as a journalist and communications strategist.
“I led teams and projects in previous roles, but this wasn’t recognised or reflected in my pay,” Shamita said. “I didn’t have adequate access to career guidance or mentorship that could help with career goal setting.
“I wanted to research career accelerators for women that would bridge this gap and would be accessible to young women professionals from underrepresented groups.”
Chelsie has created a design for a sustainable high school in Peebles. Her approach uses a discipline called biophilic design, where nature is integrated with architecture and urban planning to improve well-being.
“The critical element of my project is a river-centric design connected to the River Tweed through organic shapes and flows throughout the space,” Chelsie explained. “This includes walls with living greenery and encouraging herb gardens in the school’s interior.
“Enhancing connections to nature in this way helps to improve learning experiences and mental health.”
Chelsie completed her degree while looking after her two-year-old son, Mason, and now hopes to work with an architectural firm. She said: “Becoming a single mother and trying to fulfil my career was a challenge.
“But time management and forward-planning helped me through it. I am deeply grateful to Heriot-Watt University for helping to foster my creativity over five years while I navigated the challenges of being a single mum.”
Cath Clark, Postgraduate Programme Director at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design and Assistant Professor for the MSc Design Management degree, said design skills were more important than ever in industry.
“Designers are key to the success of an organisation,” she said. “Businesses continually have to rethink and reimagine what they do – especially as technology accelerates – and design expertise can give them crucial competitive advantage.
“So design graduates are becoming increasingly valuable to businesses, because they’re problem solvers. Our Masters students have shown huge creativity in their work this year and we’re looking forward to showcasing that.”
Julian Malins, Executive Dean at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design, said: “Our Masters Degree Show celebrates our postgraduate students and their work and is an important event for us.
“It recognises the tremendous commitment our students have made to their skills and careers. It’s also an opportunity to showcase the talent of our students to industry and to our community here in Galashiels and further afield. We wish all our Masters students the best of luck in their careers.”
Masters students at Heriot-Watt’s campus in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates are also completing their School of Textiles and Design degrees.
Postgraduates at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design include students with undergraduate degrees looking to enhance their qualifications and skills and working professionals looking to progress their careers.
The School is a centre of excellence in design and dates back to 1883, when classes in weaving, dyeing and chemistry were introduced to train workers for the local textiles industry.
Honorary Graduates include the late British fashion icon Dame Vivienne Westwood. The school’s degree programmes prepare students for roles in industries including fashion design, interior design, textile design, product and service design, digital design and fashion marketing.
The Scottish Borders is at the heart of Scotland’s luxury textile and design industry and is home to manufacturers including Barrie, one of Scotland’s oldest cashmere knitting manufacturers. It was acquired in 2012 by French luxury fashion house Chanel.
Masters Degree Show 2024, Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design
Dates:
- Thursday 8 August – 2pm-7pm – private showing for industry partners and friends and family. Register here: Masters Degree Show Opening
- Friday 9 August – open to the public, 10am-4pm.
Address: Heriot-Watt University, Scottish Borders Campus, High Mill Building, Galashiels, TD1 3HE
Entry: Free – no tickets required
More information in the Postgraduate students section of our Degree Show 2024 page.