Fashion students compete to style charity shop clothing

Categories: Care, Community Engagement, and Featured.

Fashion students in Nottingham have taken on a challenge to restyle clothes bought from three hospice shops to create a sustainable new look and win £250.

Nottinghamshire hospice has teamed up Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to run a competition for 25 students to repurpose an outfit from clothing and accessories they purchased at their charity shops.

The first 15 students to apply received £20 vouchers to spend at participating hospice shops, and a further 10 were given 10 per cent off the items they bought.

Felicity Walker, Senior Lecture in Fashion Management at NTU, said: “It’s great to be working with a local community-based charity on this project. At the University, sustainability is embedded in our teaching. It’s an area we’re passionate about and one we’re proud to be taking a stand on.

“The industry has acknowledged we can’t carry on as we are and are asking for innovative ways of making fashion sustainable and ethical. This is an opportunity for our students to lead the way, to show that there are alternatives to fast fashion and there are other ways to shop. Then other students will follow and support this.”

Students will submit their designs via Instagram using the hashtag #prelovedstylenotts, for a panel of judges including industry experts to shortlist and then pick a winner. In a change to the original plan this will now happen virtually, with the winner announced by the end of March.

The plan is to invite the winner and runners up to an event where they can showcase their outfits later in the year.

Community Fundraiser Rebecca Taylor, herself a business fashion graduate, is leading on the project. She said: “It’s great that we’re engaging with fashion students and reshaping attitudes towards charity retail.

“Restyling preloved clothing and accessories is a creative and innovative way to save money, save the planet and create a great, original look. We’re so excited to be leading the way on this.”

There are plans to continue working with the University in a series of follow-up events including a pop-up fashion show and a ‘make and mend’ workshop.

For more information visit Nottinghamshire Hospice

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