The roll-call of successful graduates from Central Saint Martins reads like a Who’s Who of British fashion – John Galliano, Katharine Hamnett, Paul Smith and Alexander McQueen are all alumni of the London school.

In recent years the college has also gained a reputation for educating a host of talented designers from north of the border, Christopher Kane, Louise Gray and Graeme Armour to name but a few. While St Martins may be getting all the credit for these Scottish talents, its academic influence is only part of their story. About 400 miles north there’s another, lesser-known fashion institution that deserves some of the plaudits.

Cardonald College in south-west Glasgow has helped shape almost every high-profile Scottish designer working in fashion. Menswear designer Deryck Walker attended the college, as did Christopher Kane’s sister and business partner, Tammy Kane. Alumni include Gray, Scott Ramsay Kyle and Armour, plus countless others who now work for labels such as Louis Vuitton and DKNY.

“It’s an impressive list when you read it aloud,” says Alex McCluskey, head of creative industries at the college. “I don’t know them all personally, but the teaching staff keep in touch with all the designers and Deryck came in recently to work with our current students – it says a lot about the college that ex-students want to maintain contact.”

A dull, grey building surrounded by magnolia-painted houses and playing fields, there’s little about Cardonald College to hint at its influence on the catwalk, but as the saying goes, appearances can be deceptive. Tucked away on the upper floors of the high-rise building is one of the most progressive fashion departments in the UK, and certainly one of the most vibrant in Scotland.

“I don’t want our students to come out of here and only be able to draw a nice dress,” explains McCluskey. “They should be able to do more than that. I expect my students to be able to sew and understand patterns, and have some business understanding. I often hear that Cardonald students, after they move on to other institutions, are

the most capable – that’s because they’ve been taught the basics from the start.”

If teaching fashion students to sew sounds like teaching your granny to suck eggs, Cardonald College is actually one of the few schools that focus on showing students how to make garments, besides honing their design skills. It’s a tactic with a successful track record. Many Cardonald HND students get priority access to prestigious degree courses and some have gone on to garner great acclaim, such as Armour – Young Designer of the Year at the Scottish Fashion Awards in 2008 – and Gray, whose most recent collection got great reviews at London Fashion Week last February.

As a result of so many leading designers opting to start their fashion education close to home, Cardonald College is now regularly name-checked in fashion magazines. The publicity has had a positive impact on admissions to its creative courses. “Ten years ago most people in fashion didn’t know what or where Cardonald College was,” says McCluskey. “Scotland, even though it had a strong fashion industry and heritage, didn’t have any fashion education reputation. Glasgow and Edinburgh Schools of Art were doing okay, but as a country we didn’t have that fashion education heritage. That’s changing now.

“We get hundreds more applicants looking to study fashion than I have places available. It’s a shame for the ones who don’t get in, but it’s good for Scotland we’re being recognised for our strengths.”

Although McCluskey’s title puts him in charge of other departments, from the two garments on display in his office – both made by students – it’s clear that fashion is close to his heart. After beginning his career with fabric manufacturing company Courtaulds, working with brands such as Levis, he joined the college in the late 1990s. Since then he’s been on a mission to make it one of the leading places to study creative disciplines in Scotland and ensure his students are among the best equipped in the country.

Indeed when we meet, just a few days after the end of term, the department is still packing up after an exhibition of students’ work at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. Also recently completed is the school’s annual Cardonald Rocks fashion show in the Fruitmarket in Glasgow.

So why does McCluskey think Cardonald students go on to such success? “The staff in the fashion department are amazing – they are so passionate about their work and the students know they go the extra mile to put on a fashion show, or ensure the students have access to the latest technology,” he explains. “Our students leave knowing a lot more than they might if they went somewhere else. They can design, yes, but they can also sew and work with a client and understand production issues. That’s what makes them so strong.”

That “extra mile” includes setting up exchange programmes with fashion colleges and schools in Europe, developing relationships with masters programmes in prestigious

institutions and forging links with industry. Students have just collaborated with the Harris Tweed Authority on a selection of skirts exhibited at Kelvingrove, and they also have close ties with Johnstons Cashmere.

It could be argued that Cardonald College is so well equipped to teach fashion it could now run its own masters or degree courses, rather than sending its HND-qualified students to complete their studies elsewhere. McCluskey is uncharacteristically coy on the subject. “We have the ability to do it, but it’s a funding issue outwith our control,” he says. “There are other good courses in Scotland, but with the facilities and equipment we have here, we could teach students to a high level.

“It’s great that Cardonald is starting to get the recognition it deserves – that’s always been my aim, to create awareness and make sure we’re seen as the best.”n

Visit www.cardonald.ac.uk.