University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has received £111,000 from a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to digitise 150 fashion pieces.

Pieces from internationally renowned designer and UCA alumni Dame Zandra Rhodes, will be digitally archived with her accessories being photographed for the first time. 

The project called Colourful Heritage will run until August next year and is a partnership between UCA and The Zandra Rhodes Foundation.

UCA head of resources discovery & liaison Leigh Garrett said: “We are thrilled to have received this grant thanks to National Lottery players. The project will have many benefits for our students and staff, but also the wider community.

“As a resource, the archive has potential for many exciting and innovative projects to promote and foster the support of cultural heritage work in the UK and internationally.”

Paid placements are on offer for fashion and textile students, including an outreach programme for young people from socio-economically deprived backgrounds.

Dame Zandra added: “I feel passionate about improving the wellbeing and creative education opportunities of underprivileged young people.  

“This project will not only develop the skills and employability of students at UCA but reach and inspire new audiences for heritage, not just the most privileged groups.”  

The outreach part of the project will concentrate its efforts in the Medway region in Kent, which is where Zandra grew up and has high levels of disadvantaged students. 

UCA will also host a series of workshops with school children from a quarter of all schools in the region to connect them with their local heritage and share Zandra’s learned knowledge.

And at the end of the project, teachers from Kent and beyond will be able to download resources for supporting Zandra’s legacy.

More information about the project can be found at https://mylibrary.uca.ac.uk/colourfulheritage