Refashioning Bill Gibb for the 21st Century: Book Launch

Name: Refashioning Bill Gibb for the 21st Century: Book Launch
Start: 2026-01-17T14:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-01-17T15:30:00+00:00
Location: Aberdeen Art Gallery

Schedule

Sat Jan 17 2026 at 02:00 pm to 03:30 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Aberdeen Art Gallery | Aberdeen, SC

The unexplored legacy of Aberdeenshire-born fashion pioneer Bill Gibb (1943-1988) is redefined in a groundbreaking new book, Refashioning Bill Gibb for the 21st Century, published by Bloomsbury in January. Join us for the launch with insightful talks and discussion from a selection of contributors alongside the book’s editors Shane Strachan and Josephine Steed, followed by an audience Q&A.
Talks at the launch will focus on Gibb’s drawing and design process, his fashion shows, his digital legacy, folklore-inspired fashions, and sustainability and climate change, with poetry performances inspired by Gibb throughout. Speakers include renowned fashion journalist Iain R Webb, former AAGM manager Christine Rew, circular fashion researcher and consultant Dr Lynn Wilson, and leading academics from RGU, Professor Peter Reid and Dr Karen Cross.
Bill Gibb grew up on a farm in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire. After his talents were spotted by his art teacher at Fraserburgh Academy, he went on to study at St Martin’s School of Art in London. Awarded Designer of the Year by British Vogue in 1970, Gibb’s fantastical designs encapsulated the vibrancy of the era. Despite his contemporary relevance and associations with fashion icons such as Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor and Twiggy, his legacy remains largely unexamined.
With a foreword by Dame Zandra Rhodes, Gibb’s revolutionary work is rediscovered in the book with insights from experts in the field and interviews with Gibb’s family, collaborator Kaffe Fassett and contemporary designer Giles Deacon. In three parts, the book focuses on Bill’s influences and collaborations, his fashion legacy, and the reinterpretation of Gibb today. It features previously unpublished fashion drawings and garments, offering a unique perspective on Gibb's artistic vision.
Free but ticketed