‘What is the name of your school?’
‘St Martins.’
‘One of the best, isn’t it?’
‘Rumour has it.’
The CSM BA Fashion’s catwalk this year became the last one at York Hall as well as of the last graduates from its Charing Cross Road building.
The film below, featuring a scene from Beat Girl (1959), was projected at the beginning of the show.
When I was editing Collected, my focus naturally gravitated towards “what made St Martins St Martins”. And it became increasingly obvious that it was Soho as I began interviewing past staff. Although I have never seen the film, its synopsis signifies it is now very much a piece of history, reflecting the era in which St Martins built itself, with 16 year old ‘wild child’St Martins student as a main character.
Unfortunately the film Beat Girl is currently available on DVD but hopefully will soon see light of the day again.
