Denim: A New Look

From the collection of

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton collects, preserves, catalogues and provides public access to its collection of films and magic lantern slides. The collection charts the rise of screen culture in the region and the nation and captures many aspects of life, work and creativity in the South East from the late 19th century to the present day. It is available for research, screenings, creative re-use and commercial access.

Denim: A New Look

Watch these fashions students from Brighton Polytechnic unleash their imaginations when asked to give denim a radical re-think

Dating from 1990, this programme features a number of fashion students from Brighton Polytechnic being given the task of discovering fresh and innovative approaches to using one of the world's most ubiquitous fabrics - denim. Their tutor, Sandy Black, introduces the project and its aim, which is to encourage the students to experiment with a wide variety of ideas, influences and techniques that will result in more imaginative uses and treatments of the fabric. We see each of the students talk about their ideas, citing cultural reference that might influence the way they propose to work. We then see those ideas begin to materialise through drawings, experiments and samples and eventually onto a variety of weaving, knitting and printing machines. Each of the students adopts a different technique and tells the viewer how they are going to achieve the 'finished look'. At the end of the exercise, the students wear or display their work as completed garments. Each of them reflects on how the project has liberated their imaginations and how their work has come to a satisfying conclusion.

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From the collection

What We Wore

Fashion takes enormous strides forward in 20th century Britain.

From the Tudor court to the Georgian dandy, Britain has long cultivated a passion for fashion, but the late 20th century saw things step up a gear. New generations of talent emerged, whose idiosyncratic style democratised fashion for a younger crowd and helped sell ‘Cool Britannia’ to the world - long before that term was coined. In the 1960s, progress was catalysed by the ‘Swinging London’ of Biba and Mary Quant, followed by the Punk movement a decade later. Designers drew inspiration not just from contemporary subcultures but also from established craft traditions across the UK – in some cases helping to revive cottage industries at risk of dying out. The dawn of the 1980s saw the rise of avant-garde pioneers (Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood), reimagined Savile Row tailoring (Tommy Nutter) and the upscale yet quintessentially British chic of Jean Muir and Bruce Oldfield – a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales, who gifted British fashion a truly global platform.

38 videos in this collection

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British Fashion Autumn 1983

  • 1983
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Space Antennae

  • Birmingham
  • 1982
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The Sash My Father Wore

  • 1977
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Focus on Britain: Design

  • 1987
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Venture Designer Awards

  • 1985
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Alternative Fashion 2002, Brady Arts and Community Centre

  • Tower Hamlets
  • 2002
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Scottish: Fashion - Pem2543

  • 1984
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Computer Shows Off Make Up Effects

  • Southend-on-Sea
  • 1986
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Northampton Fashion Designer

  • Northampton
  • 1984
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Outsize Fashion for 'Checkout'

  • 1986
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Spectacles - 'High Street Fashion'

  • Norwich
  • 1985
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Barbara Cartland Book 'Getting Older'

  • Hatfield
  • 1984
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The Leverett Angora Rabbit Farm

  • Ubbeston
  • 1986
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Martha Hill Age 74 In New Career

  • Laxton
  • 1985
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Princess Setting New Hair Fashions

  • Ipswich
  • 1984
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Voucher Scheme Replaces NHS Glasses

  • 1986
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The Hotel on Burgh Island

  • Burgh Island
  • 1988
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The Gallery of Costume, Manchester

  • Rusholme
  • 2000
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Jean Tyrrell

  • Leeds
  • 1984
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The Yorkshire Disco Dancing Championships

  • Doncaster
  • 1980
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The Best of British Fashion

  • Chatsworth House
  • 1976
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Belfast Fashion and Design Centre

  • Belfast
  • 1990
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Fashion

  • Belleek
  • 1991
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Fashion and Design

  • Belleek
  • 1991
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The Original Cowboys Were Welshmen

  • Cardiff/Caerdydd
  • 1986
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Denim: A New Look

  • Brighton
  • 1990
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The Fashionistas

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 2004
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1980 British Fashion Awards

  • 1980
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Fashion and the King's Road

  • 1977
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Ladies Fashion Autumn 1983

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Sense of Fashion

  • 1974
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The British Fashion Awards 1981

  • 1981
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The Miriam Stoppard Health and Beauty Show [27/08/92]

  • 1992
A snazzy intro to the ancient textile-dyeing technique taking the 70s fashion world by storm.

Tie and Dye

  • 1970
A Ghanaian fashion student and a Nigerian squash player are among the Africans making a life in 70s Britain in this edition of the magazine show.

London Line No 373

  • Westminster
  • 1971

Fashion of the Year

  • Plymouth
  • 1973
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Knitmaster F370 Fine Gauge Machine

  • Brighton
  • 1983
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L'il Pink Dress

  • 1993
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