News / 21 Mar 2024
Students showcase work at Student Sustainability Research Conference
Sustainability
A number of our students took part in the Student Sustainability Research Conference hosted at the University of Leeds earlier this month – an annual event where impactful student research is presented from across a diverse range of disciplines and perspectives.
Through partnership with Yorkshire Universities, a number of Leeds Arts University students got involved this year from across our BA (Hons) Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Fashion Branding with Communication (now BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing) and BA (Hons) Visual Communication degree courses. Students showcased their work through poster submissions, exhibitions and presentations.
Students involved were:
Ella Watts – BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Ellie Carpenter – BA (Hons) Visual Communication
Florence Tuppen – BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Georgina Fish – BA (Hons) Visual Communication
Henry Croft – BA (Hons) Fashion Branding with Communication
Liora Moser – BA (Hons) Visual Communication
Lydia Taylor – BA (Hons) Visual Communication
Mateusz Szczurek– BA (Hons) Visual Communication
Mille Crinnion – BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Zsofia Puikovity – BA (Hons) Visual Communication
Millie Crinnion participated in the conference with work from a module on our BA (Hons) Fashion Design course, where she was asked to design a collection of sustainable bags using sustainable techniques. Millie’s collection is fully digital. Because of this, the collection features unconventional materials like fully concrete bags, still keeping the physical qualities of fabric. The bags even have barbed wire trims and fastenings!
At the conference Millie presented her work to a live audience, advocating for digital fashion as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion consumption.
"The event was a great opportunity and actually my first time public speaking. The environment was really calming and welcoming. It was great to receive questions and see other people actually interested in my work, and actually a huge confidence boost! I have already benefitted greatly from being able to say I took part, and it’s something I would love to be able to do again in the future."
Mille Crinnion, BA (Hons) Fashion Design student
Henry Croft, BA (Hons) Fashion Branding with Communication (now BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing), asked, 'How can brands connect with Gen Z to influence sustainable fashion behaviours in the UK?'
By combining secondary research, a focus group held at Leeds Arts University, and interviews held with three sustainable business practitioners, Henry established reasons why Gen Z avoided sustainable fashion. Henry then used the research to develop a creative strategy guide to help sustainable fashion brands reach the Gen Z audience, focusing on alternative reasons for purchasing and alternative advertising methods.
“Being able to take part in discussions around sustainability with fellow students, sharing my views and research, really gave meaning to the work I produced within the Level 6 module. Being encouraged by my tutors to take part, I now understand the importance of cross-industry collaboration to drive change. By taking part in the conference, I can now show employers an experience to help them understand my values as a creative and my commitment to improving industry standards.”
Henry Croft, BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing student
“As one of the 12 member institutions of Yorkshire Universities and a member of the SSRC24 steering group, it was a pleasure to have a number of Leeds Arts University students involved this year from across our Fashion, Fashion Branding with Communications and Visual Communication courses. I am really proud of our students for taking the opportunity to go out of their comfort zones in showcasing their work through poster submission, exhibition and presenting. In addition, students and staff from the Institution also attended as participants on the day. SSRC24 was also a valuable platform for our students to demonstrate the role of the creative industries in working towards a more sustainable future."
Claire Booth, Leeds Arts University Sustainability Manager