Today we speak with CSM Customised Training and Summer Study Abroad tutor, Matthew Needham. Matthew is also an MA Fashion student and a conscious designer, approaching fashion with a sustainable mind set.
"As a tutor, you gain a perspective of your own work by listening to the students. Hearing their views and seeing work that differs from your own, which allows for a wider understanding of the creative mind and is both inspiring and motivating."
© Matthew Needham
Hi, what is your name and what do you teach?
My name is Matthew Needham and I am a visiting tutor on BA Fashion Design and Short Courses at Central Saint Martins, I also work on the Fashion Pathway at Kingston School of Art.
How did you come to work in your field?
After graduating from Central Saint Martins, I began teaching almost immediately and realised how integral teaching was in cohesion with my own practice.
Matthew Needham's work, photograph © Alessandro Raimondo
Could you tell us about what you've been working on recently, as well as your wider practice?
I am currently studying on the MA Fashion course at Central Saint Martins and working on projects that will be released soon. I work closely with Fashion Revolution, especially on creative production for the DiscoMAKE initiative. DiscoMAKE is an up-cycling event, run by Fashion Revolution, that we hope to expand upon further over the next year.
My work involves a perspective of the anthropocene and an insight into the future of clothes. As the fashion industry is producing over 100 billion garments a year, we should be considering new ways of working with what we have and creating clothes with meaning. The traditional business model in fashion, as it stands, is archaic.
What advice would you give to aspiring creatives?
Have integrity with what you do, be dedicated, and think consciously before you make something. Also, understand that you have the power and the freedom to make work that influences the future for the better.
Matthew Needham's work, photograph © Alessandro Raimondo
How has teaching students at CSM informed your approach to creativity?
As a tutor, you gain a perspective of your own work by listening to the students. Hearing their views and seeing work that differs from your own allows for a wider understanding of the creative mind which is both inspiring and motivating.
What is the most important thing that students take away from your course?
A new perspective of design that looks beyond conventional process.
Matthew Needham's work, photograph © Alessandro Raimondo
