Film, Curation and Exhibition student Jack on directing a fashion show. As Creative Director for the University of Edinburgh Fashion Society’s annual show, Jack Spiers shares how he uses his exhibition and curation skills to shape a runway experience designed to be felt, not just seen. From costume to curationA creative at heart, Jack studied fashion for two years before pursuing an undergraduate degree in Costume Design and Construction at Nottingham Trent University, where he specialised in film and stage costume and graduated in 2023.Jack then moved into theatre as an Assistant Breakdown Artist on a production of Les Misérables, manipulating props and costumes to make them look worn and historically accurate. After this, he returned to his hometown of Henley to work as a fine art dealer. Jack Spiers (pictured) is a part-time student of the MSc in Film, Exhibition and Curation Of his work experience, Jack says: “This gave me exposure to the side of art exhibition. I began to develop my understanding of the art world and the art consumer, but I needed and wanted to develop my knowledge into curation and exhibition, leading me to my masters degree in Film, Exhibition and Curation.”When he realised that the University of Edinburgh Fashion Society was looking for a Creative Director for their 2026 fashion show, Jack saw a way to combine his passions and applied for the role immediately. Inside the creative processThis year’s fashion show was titled “Chiaroscuro: Light in the Dark”, inspired by the contrast between illumination and shadow. “I would describe the show’s concept as captivating. As a team, we have taken the theme Chiaroscuro, which is a baroque painting technique that showcases depth with light and shadow and played with it as more of the idea of juxtaposition within fashion.”Guided by this concept, Jack and his team transformed the runway into a visual spectacle, featuring bold collections from emerging designers. Alongside the catwalk, guests could also explore an accompanying exhibition which showcased the designers’ creative journey – from idea to finished garments.Keeping the audience front and centre, Jack elaborates on his own creative process: “I tend to work backwards and start with what I want the audience to feel when leaving and then apply theme ideas from there.” As a part-time masters student, Jack feels like the role as Creative Director has “allowed him to become more involved in university life and work with students from other subject areas on a prolonged project.”“For the day-to-day work, I have been overseeing every detail for the show and working very closely with each team, especially the creative design team, who I've led in the design for the show.”Turning classroom theory into practiceLooking ahead, Jack hopes to use this project in his portfolio and future career. “It’s has been a great way to express my creativity as an individual, as well as to show how events like these run and the number of moving parts you need to be aware of.”“I have developed a deeper understanding that everyone's creative process is different and there is no right or wrong way to create.”The whole process, Jack adds, was informed by his masters studies in Film, Exhibition and Curation. The programme has really helped shape how I think about curation and visual storytelling. In my role as Creative Director, I’ve been applying that by thinking not just about the garments themselves, but about how they’re presented, how the audience moves through the space, and how the whole show communicates an idea rather than just displaying clothes Jack Spiers MSc Film, Exhibition and Curation student Are you interested in studying Film, Exhibition and Curation?Combining critical thinking with experiments in creative practice, our masters in Film, Exhibition and Curation will help deepen your understanding of film and the ways in which it communicates with many audiences.One of the first universities in the world to offer a dedicated programme in this field, Edinburgh is pioneering in its development of an active learning and teaching environment for the study of film exhibition and curation. Find out more on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder Related linksUniversity of Edinburgh Fashion Society Tags Film and Intermediality Life at LLC Postgraduate Publication date 02 Apr, 2026
