MyWorld’s Fellowship programme, delivered with Watershed and the Pervasive Media Studio, supports creative innovators to explore new ideas, build regional connections, and develop research into real-world impact. One fellow supported through the programme was digital fashion and sustainability expert Gabrielle Shiner-Hill.
“There’s been a whole new area opened up to me. I would never have had the opportunity otherwise.”
– Gabrielle Shiner-Hill
Challenge
The Bath Fashion Museum holds a collection of over 100,000 fashion items, but limited space and resources make it difficult to showcase and preserve the archive in accessible ways.
Approach
Through her Fellowship, Gabrielle explored how digital technologies, from high-end scanners to mobile LiDAR, could be used to digitise fashion collections and increase public access. A second fellowship then supported the work towards industry adoption, streamlining the digitisation process and exploring commercial applications.
Result
This pipeline has effectively integrated commercially relevant emerging technology into the fashion industry. MyWorld’s unique approach was instrumental in this, enabling a considerable, lasting impact for the organisations involved in this work, the West of England, and Gabrielle herself.
Holistic support
Through Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio, Gabrielle received tailored support beyond funding, including mentorship, networking opportunities, and practical assistance navigating public R&D processes.
A connected region
MyWorld connected Gabrielle with organisations across the West of England, including University of Bath, Bath Spa University and Bristol-based Nephelie Technologies, helping turn research into practical innovation.
Sustained impact
MyWorld’s flexible funding model enabled Gabrielle to continue developing the project over time and capitalise on unforeseen opportunities, helping move early-stage research closer to commercial and cultural impact.
“I found it really helpful because I’ve got huge amounts of documentation around what I’ve done, but I’ve not had that reporting pushed on me. It’s made me very productive.”
– Gabrielle Shiner-Hill
Through MyWorld, Gabrielle has successfully increased access to fashion archives and collections via digitisation, and demonstrated commercial relevance beyond her initial fellowship. This pipeline has effectively integrated emerging technology into the fashion industry, for a sustainable and innovative future. MyWorld’s unique approach was instrumental in this, enabling a considerable, lasting impact for the organisations involved in this work, the West of England, and Gabrielle herself.