Jane and Sharan were delighted to welcome Ru3a members to the inaugural session of the Fashion group.
We had a fun and interesting meeting with lots of interaction.
After a quick cuppa and a few introductions, we considered what actually is this thing called Fashion?
It's definitely a social phenomenon.
Fashion can be artistic and visually appealing, giving rise to a style or trend. It's also a powerful way of communicating identity and personal taste.
Take the iconic Egg Chair designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1959.
This is a design that has stood the test of time.
The Egg Chair is still manufactured today by the same Danish company, Fritz Hansen.
Bringing back memories of textured walls, shag pile carpets and fondue sets, a 10 minute video detailing how homes were decorated and dressed in the 1970s prompted a discussion around items from this era we had loved and let go, or loved and still enjoyed.
The group leaders had previously had a brainstorm about what might be of interest for forthcoming sessions of the Fashion group. This was shared with the group and included...
- Clothing - Retail, haute couture, fashion houses, 60s & 70s fashions
- Accessories - Shoes, hosiery, watches, jewellery
- Housing and Architecture - Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian
- Hair styling - Cutting, colouring, pinning
- Tech - Wearables
- The fashion business - Designers, suppliers, buyers, merchandisers
- Sustainability - Eco-friendly materials, fair labour practises, waste reduction
We then had a friendly, interactive session exploring other fashion concepts the group members would be interested in seeing, hearing about and sharing. These included...
- The history of fashion
- 1920s and 1930s clothing
- Pets as accessories
- Cosmetics
- Cars
- Pottery
- Fashion and hosiery manufacturing, including its local impact
- Hats
- Food, drink and home entertaining
- Fashion in film
- Body shapes through history
- The possibility of having guest speakers
Not forgetting places we could visit to indulge our senses even further, such as...
- The Elsa Schiaparelli exhibition at the V & A Museum in London from March 2026
- Notty Hornblower's Costume Museum near Ashbourne
- David Nieper in Alfreton
One item of clothing that almost everyone owns, or has owned, is a pair of denim jeans.
Watching a 15 minute video, we discovered the back story to the fashioning of the first pairs of Levi denims, and how cotton is harvested and turned into the denim fabric we all know and love.
It was interesting to understand that it is the twill weave which creates the durability denim is synonymous with.
Also how the denim of today gets its stretch and the practises that are being introduced to reduce the amount of water used in the dyeing process.
With lots to explore we hope you can join us at the next Fashion group session. This will be held in The Centre on Tuesday 6 January, 2026 at 10:00.