Fashion students take work to Next level in design competition

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A student designer has won the chance to work with one of the UK’s biggest fashion retailers

BA (Hons) Fashion students at Staffordshire University were invited to take part in a live design brief set by fashion giant Next as part of their second-year studies.

The students were challenged with designing a new Autumn/Winter 2023 capsule collection of four outfits aimed at the 18 to 24-year-old market and their portfolios were judged by head of womenswear design, Melanie Castledine.

The winning collection was awarded to Hannah Severn, 19, from Nottingham, who will now join the Next design team on a work placement. 

Hannah said: “We had to design garments that would appeal our age group but also reflect Next’s ethos so it was a really good project to experiment further with my design skills and I really enjoyed it!

“I was shocked when I won! I’ve always loved fashion since I was a child, so I’m grateful to have the chance to get experience in the industry and build my CV.”

Hannah was influenced by the film ‘Do Revenge’ which mixes different subcultures and bright colours. Her collection includes a leather biker jacket, trench coat, party skirt, dress, oversized shirt and corset top.

“I wanted to keep it very high street and create clothes that people could wear day-to-day. I looked into fashion sub-cultures and wanted my collection to be mix and match because everyone is different.” she explained.

“I also wanted it to be size appropriate for different sizes and bring in different masculine and feminine elements that make it universal for everybody.”

The BA (Hons) Fashion degree brings together the creative, technical, academic and professional skills needed to sustain a career in the fashion industry. All students take part in live industry briefs like this one and have the option of choosing a one-year placement in industry.

Lecturer in Fashion, Angela Devoti, commented: Live briefs are essential to our course in allowing our students to harness their industry knowledge and skills in practice. It encourages students to question and challenge their ideas in order to respond to a diverse range of design briefs.”  

Hannah added: “The more work experience you have, the more likely you are going to get hired, so having opportunities like this will really help me in the long run. It’s going to be such an amazing experience!”

Discover more about BA (Hons) Fashion and Staffordshire University’s range of Art and Design degrees.

Amy Platts

Media Communications Officer

t: 01782 292702


m:
07799 341911

e: amy.platts@staffs.ac.uk

Staffordshire University’s ambition is to become the UK’s best modern university. An institution with a strong civic mission, it has committed to being a ‘catalyst for change’ for students and businesses, positively impacting wider society and the regional economy.

Staffordshire University was named a Top 5 university in the UK and ranked Top 10 for job prospects in the StudentCrowd University Awards 2022 – based entirely on student reviews. It also ranked Top 10 for Social Inclusion in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

The 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) classed 68% of the University’s research as world leading or internationally excellent and 87% of its ‘research impact’ was judged to be outstanding or very outstanding.

Substantial investment in innovative technologies and teaching environments ensure next generation courses and education are delivered across all three campuses in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and London.

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