Innovative Skirts Star in Skirtgirl Exhibition

An exhibition by the innovative textile designer, Alison Willoughby, known as ‘skirtgirl’, has opened at the Atrium Gallery in Glasgow School of Art.

Simply called ‘Skirtgirl’, the exhibition shows a collection of her highly individual and hand constructed intricate skirts.

Alison completed a BA in Printed and Knitted Textiles at Glasgow School of Art before gaining an MA in Constructed Textiles Mixed Media from the Royal College of Art in London in 2001.

It was when she was taking her MA that she became interested in kilts and the way they were created out of a length of classic wool.  She then visited kiltmakers in Scotland and enrolled in pattern cutting classes to learn how to make A-line, pleated, quarter, half- and full-circle skirts.  This new skill fused with her knowledge of textiles and a love of skirts was born.

For Alison a skirt is more than just a garment – it is a work of art in its own right.  They are the canvas she works on and she adds structure through three-dimensional objects such as hatpins and glass spheres.  She experiments with techniques such as moulding and illuminating, foiling, embroidery, ruffling, cut work and sculpting.

Her inspiration comes from the inner city – such as lanes, streets, crumbling walls and fly posters stuck on top of each other – and she expresses these influences using a variety of materials which she constantly collects.  Part of her process is to layer fabric samples; one on top of the other, then cut shapes from them.

Her skirts are worn as garments and displayed in glass cases on the wall and have been sold in Selfridges, Johnny Moke, and Ysh in Tokyo.  She has completed commissions for Liberty and the Arts Council of England.

The exhibition is on at the Atrium Gallery in Glasgow School of Art, 167 Renfrew Street, Glasgow tel: 0141 353 4500 from 10 January until 25 February 2005.  Opening hours are Monday to Thursday 10am to 7pm, Friday 10am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 1pm.  The exhibition is closed on Monday 14 February.  Admission is free.