Fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes is set to donate her full archive, more than 50 years’ worth of material, to De Montfort University in Leicester.
The 82-year-old fashion and textiles designer, who has become synonymous with her bright fuchsia hair, was awarded an honorary degree by the university on Wednesday, where she also announced the news of her donation.
After being made an honorary doctor of arts, Dame Zandra announced to a crowd of graduates and their families that she would be donating her entire archive for future generations to study and draw inspiration from.
“There’s films of my shows going back to 1971, my first show at the Roundhouse in London. There’s photo record and press books stacked many feet in the air,” she said.
“You see, I’m one of the last physical designers, in the sense that much of my work is by hand, no computers.
“So, it’s quite a rich record of design work, all drawing and Xeroxes.”
