Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design holds master degree show 2024

30 master students of the Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design, located in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, have presented their work in an exhibition show.

The exhibition was on display for two days. On the first day, the student projects were shown to friends and family and the school’s industry partners. This was followed by a second showing open to the public.

The students showcasing their work are graduating from four postgraduate degrees, which include two Master of Arts (MA) programmes, namely fashion and textiles design and interior architecture and design, and two Master of Science (MSc) programmes: design management and fashion and textile management.

For her final master collection, Scottish designer Rebecca Welsh, created woven cotton textiles that celebrate the life of her late father, David, who passed away while she was completing the final year of her bachelor degree in design at Heriot-Watt’s School of Textiles & Design.

“I used objects owned by him as the main source of drawings for my sketchbook,” Rebecca explained. “Each item has a memory tied to it and colours, motifs and patterns in my textile designs evoke those memories,” she said.

She continued: “One of my motifs is a frog, which is inspired by an origami frog dad made for me while we waited in accident and emergency when I was younger, after breaking my arm.”

The young designer created her textile designs to be used for tote bags and small handbags. They feature ‘bands of colour combining different check, tartan and geometric motifs’.

Apart from its main campus in Scotland, Heriot Watt University also offers School of Textiles and Design degrees at its campus in Dubai, UAE.

The Masters Degree Show 2024 took place at the High Mill Building in Nether Road, Galashiels, a converted textile mill and the school’s main campus.

Master students Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design showcase projects in exhibition

The late British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood was one of the alumni of the Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design and was also an honorary graduate.

Commenting on the exhibition show, Cath Clark, postgraduate programme director at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design and assistant professor for the MSc design management degree, said in a statement: “Designers are key to the success of an organisation.”

She continued: “Businesses continually have to rethink and reimagine what they do – especially as technology accelerates – and design expertise can give them crucial competitive advantage.”

“So design graduates are becoming increasingly valuable to businesses, because they're problem solvers. Our master students have shown huge creativity in their work this year and we’re looking forward to showcasing that,” the programme director and educator concluded.