Gown Design Project for the Dyson Institute
A couple of years ago Churchill Gowns were approched by the Dyson Institute on Engineering and Technology to design and manufacture a new scheme of academic dress. The Dyson Institute was founded by British inventor and entrepreneur, James Dyson, and offers degrees in a range of engineering and technology disciplines.
The team at the Institute wanted a unique scheme of academic dress for the first cohort of students graduating with a Dyson degree. They wanted something that nodded to academic dress traditions but also incorporated some unique adaptations to the design.
The first design challenge the Dyson team wanted to address was finding a way to keep the hood in place when worn over the gown. This is a perennial problem when it comes to graduation gowns - the hoods work well when worn with a button down shirt but, without buttons, they tend to slip off the shoulders or slide back against the wearer's neck.
To overcome this, the Dyson hood is attached to the front of the gown. Rather than having a single neckband, the front of the hood is divided in two and sewn to the front facings of the gown. To hold the ensemble in place, there are hooks and eyes at the top of the gown facings to draw the front of the hood together. This is unusual in UK academic dress, where the gowns usually sit open at the front.
The shape of the hood is also unusual at the back. The Dyson team preferred the way an Aberdeen hood sat flat against the back, neatly displaying the lining fabric. However they preferred the square cape of a full-shape hood. These two design elements were combined to create an Aberdeen shape hood, but with a squared off cape.
Finally, the colour scheme was designed to reflect Dyson's main brand colour, blue. The hood and gown are navy and the hood then features a duchess satin lining and trim in royal blue. The caps are also navy with a royal blue tassel.
The design scheme is designed to allow for new degree levels to be added by adapting the lining and tassel colours... Watch this space!
If you are an institution looking to design and make a new scheme of graduation gowns for your students, reach out to our team to book a design consultation!
