London College of Fashion

Bob Crouch won the Doggett’s Coat and Badge Race in 1958, the year he completed his apprenticeship as a waterman on the River Thames. It’s the oldest rowing race in the world and has been continuously run for more than 200 years. Bob competed against 4 other apprentices and won against the odds. The prize is the right to wear the red coat and badge. Bob explains how he felt when  he won the race,...

Ian was a puppeteer before becoming a clown. He created his clown persona Gingernut (because of his red hair) on a cruise in 1976. His first costume came from a London store and was a Royal Stewart tartan suit. He used plastic gingernut biscuits for the buttons. Over the years Ian has learnt skills and tricks associated with clowning such as tightrope walking and magic. He has worked abroad and in...

Jerry has been a swan upper since 1996. He’s a sixth generation Thames Waterman, and has also taken part in the Dogget’s Coat and Badge race. He talks about his involvement in the Dyers Company which is one of three livery companies which undertakes the monitoring of the King’s swans on the River Thames each year. The Dyers dress in blue, Breton-style striped tops, white trousers, and navy jackets...

Doreen was born within the sound of Bow Bells which makes her a true Cockney. She became a Pearly Queen in the mid 1990s, firstly as a Pearly Pride (an apprentice) and eventually earning her title. Unusually Doreen has two titles, one in her own right (Pearly Queen of Bow Bells), and one with her late husband (Pearly King and Queen of Old Kent Road). The main business of Pearlies, according to Dor...

The Thread | Fashion Marketing Unravelled | Episode 1 by London College of Fashion

Whitelands College (now part of University of Roehampton) has an archive of May Monarch robes that date back to the 1870s. The first ceremonies were sponsored by John Ruskin, the writer and polymath, who commissioned the children’s book illustrator Kate Greenaway to design the first robe. Each year Whitelands elects a May Queen (or since 1986 King) who wears a specially designed robe. The monarch...

Chris Barber has been involved in folk music and folk clubs as long as he can remember, and joined Forest of Dean Morris in the 1980s after getting married and moving to Gloucestershire. Shortly after joining the team, he was asked if he would like to be the Old Fool. The Fool is 'the Lord of Misrule' - his role is to attract an audience, keep them entertained between the dances and add an element...

Tim Watkin got involved in folk traditions through music and Mummers’ plays. He joined Stratford Morris and took on the Tourney Horse after finding it in a rather tatty state. He revamped the horse (using an old archive photo of it from 1910) and performs in it alongside the Stratford Morris team. The role of the horse is to clear the way for the dancers or interact with the crowd and collect mone...

Tereza Mazak was born and grew up in Slovakia. She has always been interested in folk traditions and costumes, and her grandmother and great grandmother were both dressmakers. Tereza studied costume design at college and specialised in historical and theatre outfits. After moving to Edinburgh, she attended the Edinburgh Fire Festival, an annual event celebrating the return of summer, and then join...

Making Mischief Oral History Project, 'EFDSS' full by London College of Fashion

John Land has been involved with the Minehead Sailor’s Horse all his life. His earliest memories of the hobby horse coming up the street are from before he could walk. He first took part in the procession as a teenager and is now involved in keeping the tradition going and organising the annual event in Minehead, on the Somerset coast. His wife Jackie and Paul Wilson are both folk musicians who al...

Sue and John Exton are both artists. They started making Mari Lwyds after retiring from teaching jobs. A Mari Lwyd is horse costume made from a horse’s skull mounted on a pole. The skull is attached to a cloak which hides the 'rider' (the person holding and operating the skull) and the Mari Lwyd is led by an 'ostler' who, during processions and performances, guides the horse through a community kn...

Boss Morris is a group of female Morris dancers from Stroud in Gloucestershire. They formed in 2015 and perform at all sorts of events, such as local seasonal events, fetes, festivals and music awards (including Glastonbury and the Brits). Their style of dancing is Cotswold Morris but Boss pride themselves on adding 'twists and tweaks' and wearing 'radical' costumes. This has enabled them to engag...

British fashion and set designer Simon Costin has had a life long passion for folklore set in motion by a childhood experience. He set up and is the Director of the Museum of British Folklore and has been going to the Jack in the Green Festival in Hastings for about 30 years. He describes the ‘Jack’ as an ambulant hedge which is attended by the ‘Bogies’. For several years Simon has been part of a...

In this episode, the Graduate Futures team is joined by students Jessica Curry, Iga Paterewicz, Mathilde Weihrich who will be asking questions about all things costume design, and the realities of working in the film industry to our Emmy nominated alumni guest, Jovana Gospavic. Tune in to find out more about Jovana’s thoughts and experiences, and how to find roles and navigate as a newbie in the i...

In this episode, Graduate Futures' Placement team is joined by students Bella Magee, Arianna Antoniazzi and Sharon Ng, and BA Fashion Journalism and Content Creation lecturer, Emilie Hill. The team will be sharing their thoughts around work experience placements, how to secure them and how to make the most once you're there. The podcast explores networking, refining applications and top tips for l...

Track 3 - Grandad - The History Of An East London Print Worker by London College of Fashion

Track 4 - Nana - A Nigerian Matriarch by London College of Fashion

Track 5 - Uncs - Cultural History Of The East London Rave Scene by London College of Fashion

Track 6 by London College of Fashion

Track 7 - Mum - Affluence, Influence & Merit by London College of Fashion

Track 8 - Lodger - Far From Home by London College of Fashion

Track 2 - Grandson - Teenage Frustrations by London College of Fashion

Track 1 - A Phone Call For The Lodger-Shopping In Ilford As A Pakistani Woman by London College of Fashion

Cultural Programme | Track 8 by London College of Fashion