Clothing Industry Research

It does not seem like anytime when I was just turning 30 and starting my PhD, but that was obviously a little while ago, as I have just turned 35!  I am not at all bothered about my age, in fact I wouldn’t be where I am now if I had not done all the things I have done, so in many ways I am happy to be where I am!

Friday 19th Sept was the day I had earmarked for printing off my PhD thesis, which thankfully was not as arduous as anticipated!  I spent an industrious morning at the CfDR printing my 6 copies, five of which had to be taken off to be bound.  I keep thinking, in many ways it was like therapy, giving me the chance to get closure on my research, even though my subject area is forming the basis for much of the work I am currently doing!

The start of the week was dedicated to transcribing sustainable corporate wear interviews I had conducted as part of the work I am completing for the Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse.  Also I spent a day meeting with Skillfast-UK and ABC to finalise the footwear and key cutting qualifications I have been working on.

Wednesday, well that has been a different day altogether!  Though a concertive effort I managed to secure a place on an EPSRC workshop looking at ‘Digital Economy in Business’.  It was the first event of this type that I had attended, now I understand why it is so competitive to gain a place!  The purpose of the day is to bring together around 80 people, sector experts and those with an interest in the workshop thematic area, in order to generate areas of focus for a pending ‘sandpit’ to be held in December (fingers crossed!!).

Friday 26th Sept I collected my bound theses for final submission!  Where they went: unbound copy to the British Library; black binding for Northumbria University Library; light green for the CfDR; British racing green form my Mam and Dad; red for my friend Dr Penelope Watkins; my copy was in mid green!  So that is it, all completed!  I am planning to upload an electronic version of my thesis in the near future, so watch this space!

Over the weekend I started packing so that I could move house on Tuesday 30th Sept! That means that my partner Jason and I no longer live at our lovely flat in North Shields, we are now in Whitley Bay in the house that was my Nan’s.  It is great to be here, but in my Dad’s words (as my wonderful removal man) ‘you have too much stuff!’  I have a mountain of sorting to do, just can’t wait until it is done!

More excitement next week… Tuesday I am off to the RITE Group conference, being held at Central Hall, Westminster.  Then on Thursday I will be sitting in on a Technical Advisory Group looking at printing and dyeing of garments with my friend and colleague Verity-Gay Hardy, a Skills Manager at Skillfast-UK.

Attending the Design History Society NoD conference, 3rd-6th September 2008, was my first since completion of my PhD, and an opportunity to present my findings. It was a great conference, very stimulating, very international! The theme ‘Networks of Design’ worked really well, enabling a wide variety of topics to be presented and discussed. The keynote speakers were very well selected: Bruno Latour of Actor Network Theory fame; Jeremy Myerson; and Jan Konings of Droog Design in the Netherlands. Also, the venue, at University College Falmouth was a wonderful location, in the newly opened Tremough Campus.

This conference attracted individuals from many diverse backgrounds, presenting opportunities to make friendships with people from different disciplines. I luckily had the chance to meet Cheryl Buckley (Chair of the DHS) who is based at Northumbria University, Tracy Lannon from Huddersfield University, Valerie Swales previously from Plymouth University who is now living in France, also Sarah Kettley from Nottingham Trent University through whom I met Kate Church from RMIT in Melbourne in Australia. I feel that meeting these people with similar interests to my own helps to create further opportunities for networks in the future.

As Falmouth in Cornwall was so far away from Newcastle I decided to make the trip into a holiday as well attending NoD. It was great to be able to spend the week with my mam, my friend Louise and her mam Yvonne. The drive to Cornwall was a long one, but most definitely worth it. We stayed in an apartment in a fantastic location, on a hillside road overlooking the Penryn river. The wonderful view was over the river looked onto rows of moored yachts, with vistas over the commercial docks and in the distance the mouth of the Fal. In the days dedicated to holiday we had some really nice day trips: on a boat trip to the gardens at Trelissick, a rather long walk around Falmouth and a well deserved paddle in the sea and a sit on the beach; an enlightening visit to the Eden Project; a drive to Penzance, Newlyn, St Micheals Mound and Lizard Point; also a wonderfully sunny day at St Ives, at the beach and the fantastic Tate Modern.

Needless to say, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile trip!

I have finally summoned the courage to commit myself in writing! Here is the first posting on my fantastic new website, which my brother, Ian, has very kindly developed for me.

For all that don’t know me, I have a real passion for clothing related research having applied my practical industry experience into the academic field. I wanted to create an online environment in which to discuss development within research and industry practice. I hope friends and colleagues will post dialogue, articles and commentary relative to their own areas of interest.
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