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2025 marked 60 years since Kingston’s School of Art delivered an astonishing international coup for Great Britain.
In St. Gall, Switzerland in 1965, Kingston’s students defeated continental counterparts from Paris, Brussels and Rome to claim the prestigious International Youth Fashion Design award. In doing so, they helped enhance the UK’s reputation for cutting edge design, and further enshrined the ‘London Look’ as the signature style of the Swinging Sixties.
Furthermore, this was a milestone in the School of Art’s fashion courses, led by Daphne Brooker, becoming recognised as a global leader, particularly as Kingston would win the competition gain in 1966 and 1970. This legacy endures: today Kingston is ranked No.1 in London and No.2 in the UK for fashion (Guardian University Guide, 2023).
The Community Brain used 2025 to celebrate this story and 60 years of fashion in Kingston and beyond, exploring the role it has played in shaping the lives of its people, and their sense of place and culture.
We delivered a year-long programme of events, research, partnership and play. Fashion shows and exhibitions were complemented by oral histories, archival research, and a publication – as well as spectacular displays at Hampton Court Garden Festival and Kingston Market Square.
Thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this possible.
Kingston Council officers alongside the Mayor of Kingston at the Brooker publication launch
BROOKER PUBLICATION
As Head of Fashion for 29 years at Kingston School of Art, Daphne Brooker was a commanding figure who left an outstanding legacy. Kingston remains one of the world’s leading fashion departments, with a reputation for producing industry ready graduates that dates back to Brooker’s leadership from 1963.
Named for her, Brooker is The Community Brain’s celebration of fashion in Kingston. It tells the story of the School of Art’s award winning success, and the university’s outstanding fashion alumni, whether recent winners of Graduate Fashion Week or influential industry commentators and campaigners such as Caryn Franklin MBE.
But it also shines a spotlight on the borough’s wider communities and their relationship to fashion, whether Korean hanbok or traditional African dress. And it asks us to imagine the future for the fashion industry in an age where sustainability and ethics must be a bigger consideration for consumers and business alike.
HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh visiting the Willow Woman display alongside fashion students from Kingston University and Kingston College.
HAMPTON COURT GARDEN FESTIVAL 2025: WILLOW WOMAN
Willow Woman has been created as part of the ‘60 Years of Fashion in Kingston’ project.
Today our world is massively overproducing and under utilising clothing - it is estimated that over 100 billion garments are produced annually, nearly 14 items for every human being on the planet. This produces a staggering 92 million tonnes of textile waste each year, with much ending in landfill.
Many young fashion designers however are choosing to address this challenge head on through reusing and upcycling, as well as sourcing naturally grown materials. Willow Woman, standing tall at 4.8m and created using a variety of sustainably sourced willow, is a symbol of their commitment to a more sustainable craft.
Alongside the Willow Woman display, we showcased the work of young fashion designers from Kingston School of Art and Kingston College in a fashion show attended by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh.
Kingston riverside hoardings showcasing 60 years of work by Kingston University fashion students.
WORN IN KINGSTON PODCAST
Worn in Kingston celebrates 60 years of award winning fashion in the Kingston upon Thames. This three-part miniseries presented by Jarek Zaba with Robin Hutchinson focuses on particularly the leadership of Daphne Brooker as Kingston University's Head of Fashion from 1963 to 1992 that helped Kingston become one of the leading fashion schools in the country.
Episode one: We hear all about how one woman's visionary leadership helped Kingston to become one of the world's leading fashion schools.
Episode two: Four recent Kingston fashion graduates recall how their portfolios brought them success at Graduate Fashion Week.
Episode three: What does the future for fashion hold - whether in sustainable making practices, recycling, or the treatment of people?
200 YEARS OF FASHION AT WATERLOO STATION
On 17 September 2025, the concourse at Waterloo Station looked a little different. Where travellers usually hurry to catch trains, the space became a stage filled with colour, costume, and music, as The Community Brain brought 200 Years of Fashion to life. This joyful event marked Railway 200, celebrating two centuries since the birth of the modern railway. But more than that, it celebrated the people who make the railways what they are — those who work on them, travel on them, and keep them moving every day.
For one morning, history and imagination met on the station floor. Over 40 volunteer models, many from South Western Railway and Network Rail, stepped into the spotlight to represent each decade from the 1820s to today — from crinolines and waistcoats to denim and grunge. Hair and make-up artists worked wonders behind the scenes, while props from Waterloo’s lost property added a touch of authenticity.
Live music from Eel Pie Two Duo filled the air, and the Our Lady Immaculate Primary School choir performed a brand-new song written for the occasion. Commuters stopped mid-journey to listen, smile, take photos, and chat with the models. Some even joined in with a little dancing. For a few hours, one of Britain’s busiest stations became a place of laughter, connection, and shared pride.
As one volunteer put it, “The positivity and sense of fun was infectious, not only from my fellow time travellers, but from everyone we met. I’d do it all again at the drop of a hat!”
The event didn’t just celebrate 200 years of fashion — it reimagined what a station could be. It reminded us that railways aren’t only about transport; they’re about connection, movement, and shared experience.
For The Community Brain, this project summed up everything we believe in: that imagination and collaboration can transform the places we pass through every day into something extraordinary.
CREATIVE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS IN KINGSTON
For two weeks over the summer of 2025, we transformed Kingston Market House in Kingston Market Square into a vibrant gathering place for creativity, conversation and connection. We ran a fortnight of free and affordable creative workshops for all ages, celebrating Kingston’s fashion legacy while reimagining how our public spaces can serve the people who live around them.
Some of the workshop highlights
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Cyanotype & Crochet with Daisy Bow - We ran two cyanotype workshops for both adults and young people, and one crochet workshop where the attendees explored cyanotype printing and crochet in a relaxed, multi-generational environment led by content creator, crafter and Kingston University PhD researcher Daisy Bow.
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Pole Ninjas Life Drawing - An energising life drawing session hosted by Shepperton-based pole studio, Pole Ninjas, whose creativity and movement brought their performances into a whole new light for the onlooking artists.
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Upcycled Crown and Bracelet making workshop with Kjersti Smith - Children and parents got hands-on with upcycled materials to create regal accessories inspired by Kingston's fashion history to wear to the Athel’s Town Saxon Fayre in Canbury Gardens, Kingston. Another workshop included reusing cardboard and cloth scraps to make beautiful bracelets for kids and adults alike.
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Basic stitching and embroidery workshop with Dr Elena Catalano - An introduction to stitching and embroidery workshop, teaching the attendees a basic life skill that we often forget about until we really need it. The workshop encouraged mending our clothes and other textiles.
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Ariadne’s thread with Magdalena Gwovatska — Magdalena has been conducting embroidery workshops since the war in Ukraine began, initially working with Polish and Ukrainian members who came together to create a beautiful tapestry by a Ukrainian artist. It now involves lots of other nationalities as well and has travelled far and wide, collaborating with many other community groups and art forms.
These aren’t just workshops
They were moments of placemaking. Not about making a place ‘look good’ but about making it work well: for families, young creatives, isolated adults, and everyday neighbours. In an age where we often connect more through screens than faces, these workshops created an opportunity to:
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Encourage hands-on learning by building creative confidence
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Offer low-cost, local activities during school holidays
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Foster useful connections between residents, artists, and organisations
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Turn underused venues into welcoming community spaces
They also gave local creatives like Daisy Bow, Kjersti Smith, Dr Elena Catalano and Pole Ninjas a platform to share their skills, shift perceptions, and show how creativity exists in many forms.
Participant Feedback
“The workshop is an excellent idea to bring the community together. Children can learn how to be creative with each other, likewise adults. I would like this to continue for the best.”
“Despite the everyday problems of life, this is a great opportunity to connect and share. For children, one of the core skills is to learn focus and communication, this workshop increased their level of focus while blending it with the sweet world of imagination.”
“My husband and I had a great time. It was fun, relaxing, sociable, and extremely well-prepared. It felt accessible and easy to find, right in the heart of Kingston.”
“Wonderful workshop. Kids were so engaged. It’s great to show different types of art beyond paint and playdoh.”
“Thank you for organising this lovely workshop for the local community, to encourage arts and crafts for all ages.”
60 YEARS OF FASHION IN KINGSTON EXHIBITION
This exhibition celebrated Kingston’s rich relationship with fashion in the past, present and future.
The exhibition shone a spotlight on the Kingston School of Art and how it rose to become one of the most well renowned institutions on the planet to study fashion, from humble courses in hat making in the 1900s to high ranking positions on global league tables. It tells the story of Daphne Brooker, the fashion department’s transformational leader from 1963 to 1992 who elevated the course through international competition and industry links.
It was also a showcase for the designers of today and the future, at the University and beyond. Portfolio collections of present day students and recent graduates were complemented with contributions from the wider Kingston community. And with the fashion industry’s severe ecological footprint well documented, the exhibition also explored how Kingston individuals and businesses are tailoring their craft for a more sustainable future.
The exhibition was been designed by current students from the BA Interior Design students.
COMMUNITY CYANOTYPE GARMET
This garment was created to celebrate 60 years of fashion in Kingston, with every stage shaped by the community.
The project began in summer 2025 with cyanotype workshops, where adults and children learned this Victorian photographic technique and created striking blue-and-white prints. Together, participants printed fabric especially for this project. In September, the fabric was passed to the Kingston Stitchers, who embroidered their own designs and brought the pieces back. Finally, a small group of members came together to assemble the fabric into the garment you see here.
What makes this project unique is how it was made by the community, at every step, from fabric bought at Fabric Land, to prints made by the public, to embroidery and construction by this wonderful creative group.
Cyanotype links closely with Kingston’s history of photography, connected to Eadweard Muybridge, making it a fitting medium to honour the town’s cultural heritage.
The project was led by Daisy Bow du Toit, a PhD student at Kingston School of Art researching the craft of content creation, and a multidisciplinary crafter who shares her work through storytelling and social media.
As the saying goes, “Everyone wants to live in a village, but not everyone wants to be a villager.” This project shows what happens when people come together - creating something beautiful, meaningful, and truly collective.
KINGSTON FASHION ARCHIVE
Kingston residents were invited to step into our temporary studios to showcase their favourite fashion. View the full gallery.