Medway College of Design, so an early influence. She remembers her mother sewing her own clothes and having access to sewing and knitting books and magazines.
Zandra studied at Medway College of Art herself, and then at The Royal College of Art in London, studying printed textile design. Now, Rhodes is a Chancellor at the same college and believes strongly in the value of a creative education. She has collaborated with the University of the Creative Arts to create an Open Educational Resource (OER) of her design archive for students. This unique Digital Study Collection will be hosted by the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) at UCA, making her work freely available for research.
Much of the studio is taken up with the long print room where sample lengths are screen-printed. The walls are lined with the gauge sticks that measure the important repeat length for each design. After passing one screen and lifting it, the stick will show where the next screen has to be laid. Most of the screens are stored here too, so there is not much room to manoeuvre. Rhodes has kept samples of all of her work dating back five decades. It’s just as well that she opened a textile museum that could help to house them all.
As well as memories of her mother knitting, she was also influenced by her visits to the Textile Study Rooms at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to see knitted and embroidered fabrics. She tells her students if they are looking for inspiration, “When in doubt walk through a museum”. And now she doesn’t have to go far. Far from living in the past, Rhodes’ studio designs for the sustainable fashion brand People Tree, the occasional opera, as well as her own collection every year and it doesn’t look like she’s slowing down. A fantastic legacy from an exciting designer and one of our national treasures.
Zandra led me through a warren of corridors, one of which was inhabited by young designers producing their own range, before emerging into the heart of the Museum next door. All this was before the gallery had even opened to the public. The Fashion and Textiles Museum, now operated by Newham College, is a hub of learning with a great calendar of exhibitions, talks and courses for the textile enthusiasts among us.
09
www.zandrarhodes.com www.ftmlondon.org www.peopletree.co.uk
09. Shoot for British Vogue, June 1970. Photo: Irving Penn .
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