Students Show Their Recycled Fashion At Competition

Budding fashion designers from schools and colleagues in the East Riding will be showing their recycled creations at a special event next week.

The annual Lets Waste Less Textiles fashion competition, organised by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, will take place at the Treasure House in Beverley on Wednesday 18 March.

Students in the area have been challenged to design and make brand new outfits, accessories and cushions using only recycled clothing, textiles or jewellery.

The best will show off their designs at the event in front of a panel of expert judges, with the winners being presented with certificates and prizes.

The winning garments will also be put on display to the public in the Treasure House.

Students from East Riding College, Bishop Burton College and Hessle High School will be taking part in Wednesday’s competition.

Judging the fashion on display will be Tracey Cassidy, a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield and a trained fashion designer, and Denise Davies, who has taught textiles for more than 20 years and is currently the chief examiner for AQA GCSE Textiles Technology and principal moderator for A Level Product Design: Textiles.

The aim of the event is to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and reusing clothing.

Each year East Riding residents throw away up to 3,000 tonnes of clothing that could be sent to charity shops or reused – that is the equivalent of 3.7 million pairs of jeans.

Creating new garments out of reclaimed fabrics or pre-worn clothing can save money, energy and materials, and avoids using labour which could potentially be unethical.