THE new £30m Reid Building at Glasgow School of Art opened recently to a fanfare of celebrity endorsements from alumni including Robbie Coltrane, Muriel Gray and Liz Lochhead.

Housing the design school, refectory, workshops and new visitor centre, it is also the place to find a little piece of the art school to take home.

The shop, next to the visitor centre, showcases work by students, staff and alumni with a modern feel that perfectly reflects the vibe of the new Steven Holl-designed building, named after GSA's first female director Dame Seona Reid.

"The interesting thing about the collection is we have work by well-established, big brands such as Timorous Beastie and Bluebell Gray, then we have new makers such as Rayha, set up by two girls - Hazel Dunn and Alexandra Bland - who are still students here," explains general manager Cathie Randall as we walk around.

Textile design students Hazel and Alexandra make beautifully illustrative cushions and pouch bags and the girls came along to celebrate the opening.

"This is contemporary work that is quite different from that which is sold in the shop in the Mackintosh building," adds Cathie.

"That shop expresses the heritage of the building and the history of Mackintosh's appeal to visitors.

"With this being such a contemporary, minimalist building we wanted a nice clean space where we could really allow student, staff and alumni products to speak for themselves."

The new visitor centre is the starting point for tours of the Mackintosh building, which attract about 30,000 visitors a year. As well as the shop, there is also exhibition space open to the public.

"Everything that we sell, the profit goes back into the art school, as with the tours and the other shop," says Cathie.

"Our bestselling categories are jewellery and textiles."

Bold and graphic jewellery by Georgia Wiseman in gold and oxidised silver, metal beads, glass and precious stones fits in well with the clean lines of the building.

"We started the jewellery collection in 2008, when it was 10% of our total sales but it is now our second bestseller, which is amazing," says Cathie.

"It means we are justified in supporting more artists.

"The kind of visitors we get like to shop in places where you know their money is going to a wider cause rather than just a big corporate company."

An online shop is expected to be up and running in the summer.

As well as work by Turner Prize nominee David Shrigley, which is already on sale in the shop, buyers can pick up a range of textiles made at the Centre for Advanced Textiles in the art school.

Aside from bold graphic prints by Laura Spring and Alice Dansey-Wright's whimsical printed silk scarves with motifs of Glasgow, there is a nod to the heritage of the city in Allistair Burt's hand painted St Mungo Russian dolls.

What more do you need to start your own art collection at home?

l Glasgow School of Art shop, Reid Building, Renfrew Street, Glasgow.

angela.mcmanus@ eveningtimes.co.uk