Fabric design sample for the University of Strathclyde Golden Jubilee graduation cap; 2-page digital file summarising the design and manufacturing process.
The Golden Jubilee cap was a gift from Glasgow School of Art to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the University of Strathclyde’s Royal Charter of 1964. It was designed and manufactured by Christopher Barton and Jonathan Douglas, two final-year students in the School’s Department of Fashion and Textiles, and has been used in place of the more traditional, black cap at all University of Strathclyde graduation ceremonies since 2014. While the fabric of the finished cap is dark blue and black in colour, the sample is rendered in cream and black. The fabric was created using the Jacquard mechanism and woven from Lyocell, a type of rayon consisting of cellulose fibre made from dissolving wood pulp. This newly developed, natural yarn was chosen by the designers in honour of Strathclyde’s reputation for technological innovation, as well as to fit with the University’s sustainability policy, which seeks to minimise any detrimental effect upon the environment arising from the University’s activities. The design incorporates several key elements of the University’s coat of Arms: a cinquefoil, the heraldic emblem of the ancient kingdom of Strathclyde after which the University was named; an antique crown, again representing the kingdom of Strathclyde; a wave packet, signifying that Strathclyde is a technological institution; and two falcons, which were added to the coat of Arms in 1996 to mark two hundred years since the death of John Anderson.
