DeMontfort University opens Legacy of Leather exhibition
24/01/2024
DMU was also recognised by the international organisation Real Leather, Stay Different, for its work on promoting leathercraft and commitment to teaching heritage crafts and skills.
The project aims to celebrate artisanal work and teach heritage crafts and skills to students, and was initiated by Associate Professor Gillian Proctor and launched in collaboration with DMU's Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities, the Museum of Leathercraft, and the university's archives team and professional designers.
A group of design students were introduced to the world of leathercraft for 11 months. They visited tanneries, workshops, and the Museum of Leathercraft. During the course, the students were required to select two items that inspired them and used techniques learned during the course to create new work for a final exhibition. Many students discovered a new passion and changed their creative careers. One student, Ana Del Rio Mullarkey, won several international awards for her leather designs and is now setting up her own business.
Olivia Bodak, a Contour Fashion Innovation MA student, 3D printed designs onto leather. Donghyeon Kim, who graduated in January 2020 from BA Fashion Design, created LGBTQ culture designs that aimed to challenge stereotypes.
The Leathersellers praised the project and Greg Moore, from Real Leather Stay Different presented DMU with an award for the Artifacts Live project that had 2,000 entrants from 42 countries and 130 institutions.
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