Pembrokeshire College Graphic Design and Fashion and Textiles students have been approached with a real life brief to design a scarf to create a more contemporary image of lady Rotarians worldwide.

Lady Rotarians were first introduced to a male dominated world in California in 1976. There are currently 7,428 lady Rotarians in the UK and Ireland, and over 20,000 internationally, and the brief is to design a classic but contemporary scarf that will appeal to all ages from 18 upwards.

As part of the brief, students will not only have to come up with designs incorporating the Rotary International logo, but will also need to produce samples, produce detailed costings, investigate the patent procedure and investigate the possibilities for commercial production.

Curriculum area manager for Art and Design at Pembrokeshire College, Cath Brooks, commented: “This is a really exciting opportunity for our students to be able to work on a real brief that has the potential to see their designs turned into a viable commercial product.”

It is hoped that the winning design will become a key tool in highlighting the role that women can play within Rotary Clubs around the world.

Mary Adams from Narberth and Whitland Rotary Club added: “We identified a gap in the market when the ladies of our club were looking for a scarf to wear to community events representing Rotary. The men have a selection of ties, but the scarves available for women were old-fashioned and didn’t really portray the modern, contemporary image of a lady Rotarian. We at the Narberth and Whitland Rotary Club were keen to obtain the modern ideas of Further Education to create and develop the scarf.

“I am delighted that principal Sharron Lusher and the Pembrokeshire College team see this as a viable project to work with collaboratively and move the scheme forward. The scarves will need to be approved by Rotary International in order for them to be sold commercially and the task is a real challenge for students to design, source materials, patent the scarf and look at companies who may be able to produce the scarves on a large scale whilst keeping within a budget.

“It is an exciting project for us all to be involved with and the Rotary Club of Narberth and Whitland will award the successful student with a bursary for their studies so there is a real incentive for the students to create a winning design as well as being an enviable experience for their future career pathway.”