If you’re looking for a way to entertain your creative youngsters over the summer holidays then Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Fashion Museum has something tailor-made for you!
In the first major retrospective celebration of the designer Laura Ashley, the Fashion Museum will showcase a staggering 100 Laura Ashley dresses for its prestigious summer exhibition (13 July to 26 August). To celebrate this exclusive show, budding designers aged 11-16 are invited to specialist workshops where they can set the trend with their own stylish creations.
In the “Print Perfection” sessions on Friday 19 July and Monday 12 August (10am-12noon), young people can explore the Laura Ashley exhibition and apply what they’ve learned from it to print their own fashionable bag.
The “Patchwork Passion” activities, on Thursday 25 July and Monday 19 August (10am-12noon), also offer the chance to develop creatively – being inspired by the exhibition to produce a patchwork mobile phone cover or pencil case.
Rosemary Harden, the Manager of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Fashion Museum, said: “We’re celebrating the cultural significance of Laura Ashley, whose passion for colours in patchwork and print have influenced our lives in many ways – capturing a romantic essence which still has resonance in fashion today. This is the first time the Fashion Museum has run such in-depth workshops which offer a blend of theory and practice for young people who are beginning to explore their own creativity.” 
The Fashion Museum’s summer exhibition “Laura Ashley: The Romantic Heroine” captures the Laura Ashley look that in the 1960s and 1970s inspired a generation of women to dress up and be whisked away with the notion of life in a golden age; a pastoral idyll far from the mad city life. A full colour book is being produced; featuring photographs from the exhibition and tales from fans of the Laura Ashley look.
The printing and patchwork sessions are aimed at older children aged 11 to 16. Tickets cost £5 per child and can be booked in advance on 01225 477789. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Councillor Ben Stevens (Lib-Dem, Widcombe), Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “Bath & North East Somerset Council is keen to offer people a wide variety of cultural and creative opportunities. These special sessions are designed to nurture the creativity of 11-16 year olds who are inspired by this special one-off exhibition at the Fashion Museum and want to produce their own unique pieces. Who knows – we may even inspire the name behind a future fashion trend!”
The Fashion Museum is also running family drop-in activities involving printing techniques inspired by the Laura Ashley designs on display. The sessions run from 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm on the following days:
- Tuesday 23 July: Birds of a feather
- Tuesday 30 July: Magical beasts
- Tuesday 6 August: Flower power
- Tuesday 13 August: Hedgerow hunt
- Tuesday 20 August: Patchwork pick.
Admission to the Museum is free to local residents on production of a Bath & North East Somerset Council Discovery Card. Normal entry prices apply to everyone else.
The Fashion Museum is open daily from 10.30am to 4pm (exit 5pm). It currently features the Dress of the Year and the museum’s 50th anniversary exhibition “50 Fabulous Frocks”. For more information visitwww.fashionmuseum.co.uk or call 01225 477789.
