News / 19 May 2025
Textile Design students celebrate success at the Society of Dyers and Colourists competition
BA (Hons) Textile Design
Final year BA (Hons) Textile Design students Sian Barratt and Abbie Booth were awarded Runner-Up and Highly Commended in the Northern Heat of the Society of Dyers and Colourists International Design Competition
This annual competition brings together students, researchers, industry professionals, and designers from around the world to give undergraduate and postgraduate students a platform to showcase their creativity and vision on an international scale.
This year’s competition theme was Colour For Good - Creativity in Adversity. Three of our final year students, Sian Barratt, Abbie Booth and Bex Scatchard were given the opportunity to present their work to the judges.
Sian’s project explored the transformative power of colour and pattern in built environments, proposing vibrant, inclusive design solutions that reimagine communal spaces as places of comfort and connection.
Abbie’s work was inspired by Bradford’s rich textile heritage, investigating how historical practices can inform and enrich contemporary design through meaningful, place-based storytelling.
“We’re incredibly proud of Sian and Abbie for their inspiring and thoughtful responses to the competition brief. As a course, we really value these competitions which offer our students the opportunity to showcase their work to industry professionals. All three students provided innovative responses to how colour can inspire positive change.”
Gareth Wadkin, BA (Hons) Textile Design Course Leader
The Society of Dyers and Colourists is a community for coloration professionals and those interested in colour. They promote the study of colour through webinars, short courses, and publications and offer a range of internationally recognised coloration courses and qualifications. The International Design Competition is open to fashion and textile design postgraduate students and undergraduates studying at an SDC Educational Provider Member institution.
"Being awarded runner up in the SDC International Design Competition was a massive achievement for me, giving me confidence and experience in presenting and talking about my work in front of judges and other creatives. The Society of Dyers and Colourists is an amazing community of colouration professionals and so being recognised by them and having the opportunity to speak to them about my work and learn about their organisation was really inspiring to me!"
Sian Barratt, BA (Hons) Textile Design student
"It was an incredible opportunity to have my work recognised by the SDC after incorporating colour pallets from their vast archive for my graduate collection. My work is inspired by Bradford’s rich textile heritage, exploring my design practice by connecting my outcomes to a place that has had so much influence on myself and my work."
Abbie Booth, BA (Hons) Textile Design student