Goldsmith Vintage Collab

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Fashion Photography student project on display in London shop windows

Wednesday, 5 July, 2023

Second year students from Bath Spa University’s BA (Hons) Fashion Photography course have joined forces with pre-loved clothing brand Goldsmith Vintage to celebrate creativity, community and sustainability through vintage clothing. 

Through the collaboration, students created Spring/Summer campaigns that could be used for Goldsmith Vintage’s social media, website and in-store marketing activities. Working in groups, the students were challenged to create ‘live brief’ project solutions for a real client, in a genuine industry setting. 

As part of the initiative, students were encouraged to consider the brand’s ethos and ethics, allowing them to hone their strategy research skills to create an appropriate bespoke campaign for their client. They had a set amount of Goldsmith Vintage’s second-hand clothing to work with, and were given three months to create an original fashion shoot and window display for its Portobello Road store in West London. 

The students travelled to the London store where they had the chance to meet Pete Goldsmith, founder of Goldsmith Vintage, and Bex Broughton, senior manager at This Way Next PR Agency. In-store, students pitched their Spring/Summer campaign to their client with the opportunity to receive vital feedback on their ideas.

An incredibly rewarding experience

Speaking about the project, second year BA (Hons) Fashion Photography student Rachel Williams, said:

“Collaborating with a brand like Goldsmith Vintage has been an incredibly rewarding experience which has not only strengthened my photographic and creative skills but also strengthened my industry connections. Working closely with the brand’s team has allowed me to exchange ideas and strategies which has led to the development of creating impactful campaigns. 

“Working for a committed sustainable brand has been truly inspiring and learning about their efforts to be environmentally responsible in order to create positive change, such as reworking clothes, has been very insightful. Overall, this collaboration has been a valuable experience that has enhanced my professional networks and has opened doors to future opportunities and collaborations.”

Once the looks had been selected by the client, it was up to the students to undertake the work to complete the project. With different approaches in how to promote the product and brand, the students carefully considered casting, location and narrative in supporting their ideas. 

Each group developed a strong understanding of the importance of celebrating sustainability and community within fashion. One group decided to promote and celebrate the UK’s young Black creative community by taking inspiration from early 2000s music subcultures. Another group focused on the variety of student identity and how the eclectic nature of vintage fashion can bring different communities together.

Thinking outside the box

The module encouraged the students to think about all the different outputs their imagery exists in. They were required to create still imagery for social and website, moving image for social, an imagined store window display, and a zine that is now displayed physically in the Goldsmith Vintage stores. The entire experience gave the students hands-on experience of curating and displaying commercial fashion imagery while considering branding and visual merchandising of the store.

Luke Tubbs, Module Coordinator on the BA (Hons) Fashion Photography degree at Bath Spa University said:

“This has been such a fantastic opportunity for the students to not only create work that sits within a real industry setting, but to understand how to navigate professional client etiquette. It’s been an excellent crash course in experiencing the ever changing industry of commercial fashion imagery.”

Peter Goldsmith, Founder of Goldsmith Vintage added:

“Circular fashion is at the heart of talent competition Alter Eco, aimed to test the creativity and skill of the UK’s up and coming fashion students, and Goldsmith Vintage were delighted to collaborate with Bath Spa University this year for a special project that put your fashion photography students to the test. The standard was very high, and the amount of detail and dedication that the students put into the project was very impressive. Thanks so much to all the students who took part, and the module leader Luke Tubbs.”

To see the outcomes of the collaboration you can visit @bathspafashionphoto and @goldsmithvintage on Instagram.