Previous Winners

Ella Hannington (Nottingham Trent Uni)
Winner of Commercial Design

My concept is called Brutalist Beauty, looking at 1980’s architecture such as the Barbican. Focusing on the patterns in the buildings to create playful pattern clashing using a bright colour palette inspired by the reflection of the windows from the buildings. I have incorporated packaging into my concept by using the bold colours and using swing tags to help inform the buyers about sustainability and textiles waste. My goal for my garments is to have 5% waste, I have incorporated this into the swing tags by including a piece of the waste with the tags to show the buyer how we should think about every step of the garment process and we are all responsible.  I have also experimented with QR codes to make the packaging interactive and give the buyer more information of the issues of textiles waste and how my concept and garment are tackling this.

Sam Lilley (De Montfort Uni)
Winner of Footwear & Accessory Design & The Daniel Hanson Award for Excellence

For this project, I was tasked to combine 3 subjects; Orienteering, Morphing and Luxury to create a hybrid concept for a design. I focused on moth metamorphosis, with particular attention to the natural selection process that occurred in the industrial revolution. I took further inspiration from the current luxury market, with an emphasis on unique componentry and proportions.

Emily Warne (Nottingham Trent Uni)
Winner of Knitwear Design

My Collection “Granny’s Attic”, encompasses a maximalist, kitsch, and playful feeling. I have focused on nostalgia, taking inspiration from photographs of my Grannies. The collection’s look is akin to a child going into their granny’s attic and playing dress up. I have taken a naïve and playful approach to colour and pattern. I aim for the final collection to have a mismatched aesthetic, full of unusual juxtapositions between fabrics and colours, with a focus on oversized silhouettes and layering, and the use of gathers and frills – referencing the childlike aesthetic of playing dress-up. I also utilize the home-made approach to craft.

Jess Harrington (Nottingham Trent Uni)
Winner of Menswear Design

Grotesque sensuality is a menswear collection inspired by mental health and my personal struggle with mental health and the journey through accepting ones queer identity through classic mens tailoring, mixing it with typically feminine accents such as the corsets and garter belts, and the cropped/cut out detailing, adding hints of beading to the the majority of the seams and for extra styling a large beaded harness. Keeping the main garments plain statement colours but then incorporating the checked/plaid prints i have designed to really add something extra to the outfits in the collection.

Rebecca Froggatt (Nottingham Trent Uni)
Winner of Sustainability

Adjustable Genderless, timeless, ageless, seasonless and occasion-less garments. Looking into our foundations as humans and our planet and exploring new methods of design which limit virgin fabrics, harsh chemicals, unnecessary metals and plastic, and a slow fashion collection. Inspired by the people of pormpuraaw who take their washed up ghost nets and turn them into beautiful sculptures, I have taken locally sourced deadstock/ end of roll fabrics from Paul Smith in order to create high quality hard wearing traditional, yet cool and slouchy/comfortable yet smart. The collection is also interchangeable within the jackets where each half can be swapped with each other for a limited wardrobe.

Lucy Brown (Uni of Huddersfield)
Winner of Textile Design

My collection is inspired by mental health, and the tv show EUPHORIA. Mental health is important to me, having lost a friend recently to suicide, so I wanted to make my collection inspired by struggle but also using the influence of EUPHORIAS costume design and plot lines. Each character has their own battles, including growing up and dealing with grief, addiction and mental illness. The stigma behind mental health will never change unless society can normalise uncomfortable conversations. I developed artworks during textiles experimentation, that I developed until I had print designs for my garments. I want the prints to evoke emotions and encourage people to be open about their mental wellbeing. I experimented with many different medias to develop artwork for textiles application. I also created textiles sampling of quotations and feelings through free machine embroidery.

Hannah Bond (Nottingham Trent Uni)
Winner of Womenswear Design

My final collection, named ‘The World Without Us’ is based upon the concept of omnicide – the extinction of humans as a result of human action. After watching the David Attenborough documentary ‘A-life on Our Planet’ in 2020, I was shocked at how close the reality of human extinction was. My project looks at the aftermath, when humans have completely disappeared. What do the buildings look like? How has nature taken over? What does the Earth look like?

Caroline Sani (Uni of Northampton)
Winner of the People’s Choice

My  concept, “Radiosity”, runs twofold. Radiosity is both a scientific term describing radiated light and an apt cultural appropriation metaphor. A lightwave touching different coloured objects is manipulated by the colour properties of each item before being radiated onwards. Red spheres will illicit areas of purple shadow under blue light. As light scientifically prompts illumination, it equally, in the philosophical sense, describes personal or social enlightenment. Force an African and European into close proximity and they will both culturally appropriate towards an evolved and dare I say potentially better outcome. I am leveraging multiple mediums and techniques covering all aspects of print, shape and form in the hope of resolving the above concept with special consideration extended towards reflected ambient light and sustainable and socially acceptable processes.