A 70-YEAR-OLD pensioner yesterday took to the catwalk as part of a graduate fashion show.
The Glasgow School of Art staged the 70th anniversary of the first undergraduate fashion show at the school.
Norman Sutton-Hibbert studied sculpture before recently graduating from the GSA after studying an MLitt in painting and was asked by a student to take part in the show.
The former social worker said he was charmed into taking part. He said: “The student told me he were looking for a silver fox.
He said: “I took that to mean they were looking for an old man. I was happy to do it, because I work with different materials so I was keen to see what other people do with them.”
Mr Sutton-Hibbert was one of many students who lost his full portfolio in the school fire in 2014, but said it inspired him to keep making new items.
He added: “There is nothing I can do about it. I just had to keep going and design something new.”
Although Mr Sutton-Hibbert admits he would not go back to study again, he conceded that he may be tempted back on to the catwalk again in the future.
He said: “If I were asked again I would do it again, absolutely.”
To celebrate the event, the current cohort of third-year students designed collections inspired by the theme 1947 – 2017.
They looked back at the period in terms of social and political changes, science and technology, music, film and TV as well as art, literature and architecture.
Some were influenced by specific decades, such as the 60s, while some made political statements There was also plenty of references to fashion styles of the past with Bond Girls on show, along with Stepford Wives from the 1950s and New Romantics from the 1980s. As well as women’s wear collections, students on the embroidery took inspiration from 80s TV show Dynasty in the Textile pathway, which showcased designs in four specialisms: embroidery, knit, print and weave.
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