The V&A/RCA History of Design programme was established in 1982 as the first ever postgraduate centre in our field. Our expansive chronology, from 1400 to the contemporary, and our global geographies are part of the way we forge new critical thinking about the histories of design. Our work is public-facing and socially and environmentally engaged, in line with our location in the public museum and the art school. This cultural span has been newly invigorated by this year’s graduating students, whose work reveals the possibilities of these tenets in inventive new ways.

This year they travelled from Korean fashion design to West African dress reform to Lithuanian social housing. We move from sequins to Helvetica to coffee. We meet a cast of runway models, male impersonators and historical revivalists. Several themes jump out but a core preoccupation of this cohort is the ephemeral processes that allow cultures to navigate the historical past be that in the power of rituals like the coronation of Charles III, the Trans possibilities of theatrical performances or the efforts to record the voices of the Windrush generation.

The History of Design programme constantly works to challenge received wisdom about design and designers. It invites in new actors, champions novel explanations of past events and workshops alternative forms of telling those stories. This mix is evident throughout their dissertations, and in the broader projects that the students have engaged in whilst on the programme.

We hope that you will enjoy the work on show here.