Hood of the Month
Bachelors hood, Nottingham Trent
Nottingham Trent University’s first scheme of academic dress devised by Compton de Souza of Ede & Ravenscroft included 24 designs with the chief colours being blue and green. The BA from this scheme was our Hood of the Month in November 2022. However, very different costume has been in use at NTU ceremonies since Summer 2024. Following a rebranding, the University’s official colours are now pink and black. When the tender for its academic dress scheme came up in 2024, it was awarded to Graduation Attire. A competition was held, in-house, for the new designs which was won by the MA student, Georgia Stevenson who presented her work at the Burgon 2025 Spring Conference.
Taking her inspiration from the Arkwright building and with a brief which emphasised sustainability, she worked with Graduation Attire on new designs, to create a simpler scheme than its predecessor, with the new official colours. The new design breaks with tradition in several ways. The hoods are formed from a large rectangle of material, folded several times, rather than the more typical full shapes or simple shapes, there is no neckband, instead the hood attaches to the gown by means of Velcro. The new NTU Bachelors hood, shown here, cannot be opened up and worn over the head, as a functioning hood. NTU hoods display the university’s coat of arms, in blackline, on the University pink lining in a much more visible way than the previous scheme’s green on green jacquard. Given the novelty of the design, I do not know of its Groves classification, and it will be interesting to see if this type of design is followed by other universities in the coming years.
Timothy Hallett FBS
Photo courtesy of the author.