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St Swithun's Student Recognised as Rising Fashion Talent of the Future at National Design Competition |
St Swithun’s fashion and textiles student, Ruke, was selected to attend the Graduate Fashion Awards in London after she was awarded the runner-up prize for the national Young Talent of Tomorrow Fashion Design Competition (Year 10-11 category), for an innovative design with a sustainable twist.
The competition was created by the Graduate Fashion Foundation, the charity behind Graduate Fashion Week, the world’s largest showcase of BA fashion talent. This competition offers students aged 11-18 the rare opportunity to showcase their fashion design on a national stage and gain industry recognition.
The brief encouraged student imagination with a theme of ‘Imagining Tomorrow’. The Graduate Fashion Foundation said ‘Creativity is a great way to use your imagination to change the world around you—we want you to design an outfit that shares your vision for the future. Consider what you might want to wear in a world filled with cool technology, colourful landscapes, and even new materials.’
Year 10 student, Ruke, chose nature and environmental issues as the foundation for her designs. Ruke discussed the rise in fast fashion and consequent landfill as her reasoning for using natural materials. According to earth.org, around ‘92 million tonnes of textile waste is dumped every year’ and nearly 10 percent of microplastics released into the ocean come from textile waste. She believes, “this can be combated by upcycling clothes and wearing them for longer.
“I have hope that sooner or later, we will learn to incorporate nature into our daily lives in order to help in reducing global pollution.”
The enthusiastic fashion and textiles student combined her environmental mission with inspiration from designers and brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Issey Miyake, Prada and Monolo Blahnik.
Each element of her designs is thoughtfully underpinned by ideas of the natural world in juxtaposition to the impact of modern society. Weaving natural features into a steel-boned corset and exposed metallic hoop skirt, Ruke explained that the pieces represent the reclaiming of land by nature.
Considering the UN’s mission to cut emissions in half by 2030, the young designer decided to focus on sustainable materials as a practical response, combined with the creative messaging.
Ruke U and textiles teacher Ms Memery travelled to London as special guests for the Graduate Fashion Awards. Winning designs were showcased on a digital runway for The Young Talent of Tomorrow Fashion Design Competition 2025, and Ruke’s innovative design and thorough research awarded her the runner-up position in the national competition for the Year 10-11 category.
St Swithun’s GCSE in Fashion and Textiles aims to develop learners' creative and aesthetic awareness, stimulating an enjoyment in design and construction of garments and fashion accessories but with the understanding of sustainability within the fashion industry.