Radio show goes beyond the catwalk to examine the issues facing fashion

A radio show from the University of Northampton investigated why there’s much more to fashion than just looking good.

Shout To The Top is a monthly programme on NLive Radio, hosted by University Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford.

The theme of this month’s edition, which aired on Wednesday 2 June, was fashion – and the key issues facing the industry.

You can listen back to the show on the NLive Radio website. The show is also available as a podcast on iTunes.

Senior Lecturer in Fashion, Gavin Douglas was in the studio to talk about the role of diversity in the industry and fashion education. In 2020, Gavin set up a mentoring scheme for black fashion students at UON, which aims to help them overcome the systemic barriers that cause the underrepresentation of leading black designers within the UK fashion industry.

Gavin’s colleague and fellow Senior Lecturer in Fashion, Emmeline Child, also chatted to Nick about the environmental impact of fast fashion. With almost 20 years of experience in sustainability in fashion and textiles, Emmeline has become a pioneer in sustainable issues around upcycling.

With the annual Graduate Fashion Week showcase of UK universities’ best student designers almost upon us, Nick also spoke to students Natasha Finlay and Jonathan Goddard. Both have had their work shortlisted for Graduate Fashion Week awards, and talked to Nick about the inspiration behind their designs. They were also joined by the University’s Textiles for Fashion Programme Leader, Jane Mills.

Meanwhile, Dr Mike Redwood outlined the importance of the leather industry to fashion. Dr Redwood spent several years passing on his knowledge to students at the University’s Institute for Creative Leather Technologies, where he was a Visiting Professor.

Nick also talked to Northampton-based fashion footwear designer, Guy West. Guy went from selling shoes in a market to co-founding the internationally renowned Jeffery-West shoes brand.