Three graduation robes designed by UAL Students and worn by Sir Grayson Perry were on show earlier this month.
Jigsaw Foundation displayed them in their Edinburgh store. The event coincided with his major exhibition at National Galleries Scotland. It was the first time the robes were on display.
During Grayson’s tenure as Chancellor of UAL, students competed to create robes for him to wear at graduation ceremonies, each year. The brief was to create unconventional alternatives to black graduation robes. It asked designers to play down masculine tailoring and incorporate sustainability – the finished results reference traditional dress while celebrating Grayson’s distinctive personal style.
The display featured the robes designed and worn in 2017, 2019 and 2023. The designers were Keith Tovey, Rachele Terrinoni, and Yinfang Wang.
The ceremonial robes came to the UAL Archives and Special Collections Centre between June and July 2023, immediately before this show. The curatorial team moved very fast to prepare them for their first public exhibition.
They commissioned bespoke mannequins to stand in for Grayson. They performed a detailed inspection of every element and accessory of the robes for condition reports. The staff then packed the robes in newly acquired archival costume boxes for safe transportation to Edinburgh.
Zoe Buckberry, Assistant Archivist and professional curator, travelled by train to meet the robes as they arrived in store, two days ahead of the show. She unpacked each robe, hung them on a clothes rail and then steamed each item, ready for display. She then dressed the mannequins, once the shop had closed.
Sarah Mahurter, Manager of the Archives and Special Collections Centre, met Zoe on the day before the show, to support Zoe during the installation. It takes two to dress a stiff mannequin!
As the team began to install at the front of the store, a number of amazed passers-by gazed in, open-mouthed and smiling at the colourful scene.
ASCC team member Michael Davies joined Zoe on Sunday to deinstall the show, and pack up all the robes as well as the mannequins, ready for their return transport to London.
We were joined by Kat Smith from the UAL Communications Team, who recorded the events before and during the show. Yinfang Wang, took part in a private breakfast event on Friday morning which attracted 20 customers and guests. Sarah spoke, celebrating the chance to share Grayson’s robes outside of London to the buzzing city of Edinburgh during the Festival, and the Smash Hits exhibition at the National Gallery of Scotland.
The weekend progressed with a talk about Smash Hits by its curator Patrick Elliot on Saturday afternoon, and a drawing competition on Sunday, which will be judged by Yinfang Wang.
This show is supported by Jigsaw Foundation, who are discussing further supportive collaborations with UAL.
For questions about our archives and special collections please contact us at archive-enquiries@arts.ac.uk.