Geometrics and Beyond:
Fashion Students Draw Inspiration from Braintree’s Art Deco Heritage

Nineteen Fashion Design students from Anglia Ruskin University have completed a collaborative project exploring the relationship between historical design and contemporary fashion with the Warner Textile Archive.

This year’s brief challenged students to draw on the Warner Textile Archive & Braintree Museum ‘Art Deco and Beyond’ exhibition.

Through research into the geometric patterns, bold colour palettes and decorative motifs of the 1920s and 1930s, students developed contemporary fashion concepts to reinterpret Art Deco aesthetics for a modern audience.

Students visited the Art Deco exhibition to support their research, viewing the range of textiles and collection pieces first-hand to provide inspiration and insight to the design heritage of the era.

Three of the students’ designs, inspired by the Warner Textile and Braintree Museum, were selected to be printed onto tote bags and are available in Braintree Museum’s Shop.

“My main source of inspiration was the features of bronze and iron architecture showcased in the Museum, paired with prints from the Warner Textile Archive featuring symmetrical spirals, and my chosen colour palette of brown and blues. I explored the idea of reinterpreting these spiral motifs with my own geometric designs, experimenting with prints and graphics, repetition and offset compositions. I also used digital programs to help visualise my ideas by creating collages and sampling different layer effects. With the Warner Textile Archive as my main source of inspiration, I was able to develop and refine 6 finalised prints that I am very pleased with” – Ace Caslin

Laura Fletcher, Course Director, Fashion Communication and Branding, Anglia Ruskin University explained that “The first year module, for Fashion Designers, encourages students to develop drawing and visualization skills for a range of purposes including mood boards, observational research drawing, technical drawing and fashion print. As part of the module students design and visualise a portfolio of 5 contemporary outfits: dresses, skirts, and t-shirt graphics, developing print designs and graphical elements for womenswear or gender neutral. The creation and presentation of the portfolio supports students in promoting their creative practice to a range of audiences including potential internships, work placement opportunities and employers.”

Robert Rose, Museums Director, Braintree District Museum Trust was delighted with “the collaboration between Anglia Ruskin University, Braintree Museum and the Warner Textile Archive  demonstrating the value of connecting contemporary design education with local cultural heritage and historical design. Students used the unique opportunities to develop their own research and storytelling skills through a live brief to create impactful designs.”

If you’re interested in working with the Warner Textile Archive to develop your own project or want to find out more please contact: Sam Woodward, sam.woodward@bdmt.org.uk

To find out more about the selected designs, the collections and their inspiration, explore the work of the students via our news story ‘Anglia Ruskin University Live Brief Project 2026’.