News / 02 Apr 2025
Fashion Design students design for Zalando and Graduate Fashion Foundation
BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Second year BA (Hons) Fashion Design students were given the opportunity to work on a competition design brief with Graduate Fashion Foundation and online retailer Zalando.
Leeds Arts University was selected as the only UK University to take part in the competition brief, alongside four other universities from across Europe. Students were invited to five masterclasses on circular fashion (a system that aims to minimise waste and maximise the lifespan of clothes), developed by Graduate Fashion Foundation and Zalando. The content was developed by industry experts and covered topics such as materials, design for circularity, production, quality control, delivery, garment end-of-life, and waste streams.
Students were also given access to a wide range of resources to inspire further research into circular and sustainable fashion concepts. Taking the themes of ‘zero waste, repurposed materials, multifunction or artisan’ the students took what they had learnt to develop an innovative, sustainable collection of four bags/cases.
The students’ submissions were judged by a panel including Helena Pribyl, senior research analyst at the Ellen McArthur Foundation, and Alicja Jordan, senior circularity manager at Zalando, who selected one winner and two runners up from each University.
Jessie Stith was selected as the winner for her project, where she designed a collection of bags made from discarded fire hoses.
“For my collection, I was inspired by Elvis and Kresse who use discarded fire hoses to create beautiful bags and accessories. This material would otherwise be thrown in landfills when they are too damaged to be safely used to fight fires, but the leather is still durable and can be used for other things. Fire hoses are often bright red or yellow which aids the aesthetic, wearable nature of my collection of bags.”
Jessie Stith, BA (Hons) Fashion Design student
She continued; "This project has inspired me to continue working in ways which could benefit the environment. I am very grateful to Zalando and Graduate Fashion Foundation for the recognition and choosing my work as the winner of the competition, and to Katie, my tutor for her support throughout the project and for encouraging me to submit my work to the competition.”
The judges chose Ruby Lancaster and Gracie Chadwick as runners up, with Ruby’s design praised as being unique and creative with a clear aesthetic vision, and noting Gracie’s clear understanding of her target audience and her architecture-inspired approach.
Gracie designed a sustainable collection of bags by repurposing old, unwanted, and unwearable clothes from wardrobes and transforming them from discarded materials into stylish and functional products.
“Working on this project has been an incredibly rewarding experience, allowing me to explore innovative ways to merge style with eco-consciousness. Being selected by the judges is truly an honour — a meaningful recognition of my dedication to creating a more sustainable and impactful future for fashion.”
Gracie Chadwick, BA (Hons) Fashion Design student
The Graduate Fashion Foundation is a charitable organisation and an essential part of the fashion industry. It is the springboard for new talent and a bridge between education and employment. As a leading European online platform for fashion and lifestyle, Zalando delivers to customers in 25 countries.