National Trust Costume Collection Education Programs

Education program VIC

The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) has an incredible costume collection that spans many years of wear. These garments provide extremely valuable insight into past fashion trends, manufacturing techniques, society and sustainability.  

“The Trust is custodian of a nationally significant collection of fashion and dress. It offers opportunities for research and is a useful educative tool – providing insight into consumption, emigration, social change and the aesthetic and technical value of clothing production distribution and design.” – Elizabeth Anya-Petrivna, Senior Curator and Historian of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). 

The Fashion Trunk Show - Incursion Program, Levels 7-VCE

The incursion program brings our fantastic and varied costume collection to your school. Students will discover a variety of garments and journey through time to witness changing styles, manufacturing techniques and societal changes. These garments can be analysed closely under supervision, giving students a chance to uncover the secrets of the past.  

Curriculum links for Levels 7 & 8
Subject Strand Sub-strand Outcome During the incursion students will…  
Design and Technologies Technologies and Society Investigate the ways in which designed solutions evolve locally, nationally, regionally and globally through the creativity, innovation and enterprise of individuals and groups (VCDSTS044) Discover the changing techniques and technologies used to create garments throughout time, with a focus on sustainable methods and use. 
Creating Designed Solutions  Investigating Critique needs or opportunities for designing and investigate, analyse and select from a range of materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to develop design ideas (VCDSCD049) Be inspired by historical garments, equipment, tools, processes and technologies to consider possible methods that could be utilised in the 21st century. 
Generating Generate, develop and test design ideas, plans and processes using appropriate technical terms and technologies including graphical representation techniques (VCDSCD050) In the teacher pack, students are given the opportunity to take a historical garment that they examined to create their own design, focusing on sustainability and traditional methods of manufacturing. 
Evaluating Independently develop criteria for success to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions and their sustainability (VCDSCD052) Evaluate a garment by deeply analysing the techniques and materials used.  
History Historical Concepts and Skills Historical Sources as Evidence Analyse and corroborate sources and ask questions about their accuracy, usefulness and reliability (VCHHC099) Analyse the garments as time capsules of historical society.  
Chronology Describe and explain the broad patterns of change over the period from the Ancient to the Modern World (VCHHC098) Discover the changing world of fashion over 200 years in Australia through object-based learning.  
Curriculum links for Levels 9 & 10
Subject Strand Sub-strand Outcome During the incursion students will…  
Design and Technologies Technologies and Society Explain how designed solutions evolve with consideration of preferred futures and the impact of emerging technologies on design decisions (VCDSTS055) Discover the changing techniques and technologies used to create garments throughout time, with a focus on sustainable methods and use. 
Creating Designed Solutions  Investigating Critique needs or opportunities to develop design briefs and investigate and select an increasingly sophisticated range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment to develop design ideas (VCDSCD060) Be inspired by historical garments, equipment, tools, processes and technologies to consider possible methods that could be utilised in the 21st century. 
Generating Apply design thinking, creativity, innovation and enterprise skills to develop, modify and communicate design ideas of increasing sophistication (VCDSCD061) In the teacher pack, students are given the opportunity to take a historical garment that they examined to create their own design, focusing on sustainability and traditional methods of manufacturing. 
Evaluating Evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions against comprehensive criteria for success recognising the need for sustainability (VCDSCD063) Evaluate a garment by deeply analysing the techniques and materials used. Students will recognize the sustainable nature of garments in the past, being worn, mended and reworked as fashions changed, rather than buying new.  
History Historical Concepts and Skills Historical Sources as Evidence Analyse and corroborate sources and evaluate their accuracy, usefulness and reliability (VCHHC123) Analyse the garments as time capsules of historical society.  
Chronology Analyse and evaluate the broad patterns of change over the period 1750–present (VCHHC122) Discover the changing world of fashion over 200 years in Australia through object-based learning.  
Study Design links for VCE Production Design and Technology
Unit and area of study Key knowledge or skills At the incursion students will… 
Unit 1: Sustainable Product Redevelopment AOS1 The environmental, economic and social impacts associated with the origin/source, manufacture, use and disposal of products. Understand how garments were manufactured both pre- and post- industrialization and how this process impacted the landscape, community and climate.  
Approaches used by designers to incorporate sustainability practices in product design. Discover the sustainable methods of women in the 19th and early 20th centuries to mend, redesign and re-wear garments for many years as fashions changed rather than buying new.  
Creative and critical design thinking techniques. Analyse garments from the past using a criteria and critical thinking skills.  
Analyse the sustainability of an existing product. Analyse how the garments shown rank on sustainability when thinking about length of use, method of manufacture, materials used and environmental impact.  
Further program details
AvailableOn request
Duration1.5 hours.
Numbers15-30 students
ResourcesTeachers will receive a detailed resource pack that includes suggested pre- and post-incursion activities upon booking.
Cost $12 per student
SafetyClick here to access the incursion Task Risk Assessment document.
BookingsOnline booking form

Email: bookings@nattust.com.au

Phone: (03)9656 9889
National Trust Costume Collection Education Programs

Fashion Sleuths and Dress Detectives, Levels 7-10

The excursion to Labassa Mansion in Caulfield offers a place-based experience to see many beautiful garments, with hands-on garment exploration and discovery. Students will be shown how to analyse garments to learn their hidden secrets as well as being introduced to the scientific processes used to forensically determine date as well as the content of stains.  

Curriculum links for Levels 7 & 8
Subject Strand Sub-strand Outcome During the excursion students will…  
Design and Technologies Technologies and Society Investigate the ways in which designed solutions evolve locally, nationally, regionally and globally through the creativity, innovation and enterprise of individuals and groups (VCDSTS044) Discover the changing techniques and technologies used to create garments throughout time, with a focus on sustainable methods and use. 
Creating Designed Solutions  Investigating Critique needs or opportunities for designing and investigate, analyse and select from a range of materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to develop design ideas (VCDSCD049) Be inspired by historical garments, equipment, tools, processes and technologies to consider possible methods that could be utilised in the 21st century. 
Generating Generate, develop and test design ideas, plans and processes using appropriate technical terms and technologies including graphical representation techniques (VCDSCD050) In the teacher pack, students are given the opportunity to take a historical garment that they examined to create their own design, focusing on sustainability and traditional methods of manufacturing. 
Evaluating Independently develop criteria for success to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions and their sustainability (VCDSCD052) Evaluate a garment by deeply analysing the techniques and materials used.  
History Historical Concepts and Skills Historical Sources as Evidence Analyse and corroborate sources and ask questions about their accuracy, usefulness and reliability (VCHHC099) Analyse the garments as time capsules of historical society.  
Chronology Describe and explain the broad patterns of change over the period from the Ancient to the Modern World (VCHHC098) Discover the changing world of fashion over 200 years in Australia through object-based learning.  
Curriculum links for Levels 9 & 10
Subject Strand Sub-strand Outcome During the excursion students will…  
Design and Technologies Technologies and Society Explain how designed solutions evolve with consideration of preferred futures and the impact of emerging technologies on design decisions (VCDSTS055) Discover the changing techniques and technologies used to create garments throughout time, with a focus on sustainable methods and use. 
Creating Designed Solutions  Investigating Critique needs or opportunities to develop design briefs and investigate and select an increasingly sophisticated range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment to develop design ideas (VCDSCD060) Be inspired by historical garments, equipment, tools, processes and technologies to consider possible methods that could be utilised in the 21st century. 
Generating Apply design thinking, creativity, innovation and enterprise skills to develop, modify and communicate design ideas of increasing sophistication (VCDSCD061) In the teacher pack, students are given the opportunity to take a historical garment that they examined to create their own design, focusing on sustainability and traditional methods of manufacturing. 
Evaluating Evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions against comprehensive criteria for success recognising the need for sustainability (VCDSCD063) Evaluate a garment by deeply analysing the techniques and materials used. Students will recognize the sustainable nature of garments in the past, being worn, mended and reworked as fashions changed, rather than buying new.  
History Historical Concepts and Skills Historical Sources as Evidence Analyse and corroborate sources and evaluate their accuracy, usefulness and reliability (VCHHC123) Analyse the garments as time capsules of historical society.  
Chronology Analyse and evaluate the broad patterns of change over the period 1750–present (VCHHC122) Discover the changing world of fashion over 200 years in Australia through object-based learning.  
Further program details
Available:On request
Duration:1.5 hours
Numbers:15-30 students
ResourcesTeachers will receive a detailed resource pack that includes suggested pre- and post-incursion activities upon booking.
Cost:$15 per student
Bookings:Online booking form

Email: bookings@nattust.com.au

Phone: (03)9656 9889
National Trust Costume Collection Education Programs

Plan your visit

National Trust Costume Collection Education Programs

Address:

2 Manor Grove
Caulfield North 3161 VIC

Phone:
9656 9800
Email:
bookings@nattrust.com.au
What we offer:

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The National Trust of Victoria has created an extremely exciting experience that will hopefully fill you, and your students, with intrigue and delight. Transporting your imagination to another time and place. My students were engaged with the ability to investigate garments with their hands, playing detective to who would have worn the garment?, where it might possibly have been worn? and why? The National Trust were flexible, offering both incursion experiences, as well as excursion experiences to their heritage listed building - Labassa Mansion. This is an experience I will share with my students annually.

- Amy Dallas, Killester College.

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