Song to the Siren (Menswear)

By: Philip McCallum School of Design, Third Year Fashion Design
Traces my Grandad’s past working in the shipyards
and national service. Inspired by archived photo
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graphs and documents of him and unknown relatives
in a box tucked away in a wardrobe. This encounter
with the past reminded me of the history of my home
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town, Greenock, starting from Ferguson Marine, Port
Glasgow, and following the Clyde back down to Gree
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nock. I photographed the current state of the active
and derelict shipyards, with some being reused as
marinas, retail parks and a sports centre.
Partaking in this endeavour invoked nostalgia for my
childhood, walks along the Clyde, day trips to Dunoon,
Milport and Bute via the ferry, surrounded by the smell
of the sea, water and the sounds of the ferry. The
view from my bedroom is now a constant reminder
of this past, overlooking the Clyde and James Watt
Marina, home to Clyde Garvel, a shipbuilding and repair
company, and boats sailing somewhere to unknown
destinations. With a grounding in traditional menswear
cutting and construction, reinterpreting it and combin
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ing it with print and dye work to create visually dynamic
garments

Photographer: Alicia Bikerstaff
Models: Abby Hopes, Oliver Simpson, Michael Rennie