Nottingham Trent University students have spoken out about their designs in partnership with Emmanuel House - the homelessness charity - to create sustainable, warm clothing for homeless people. The fashion design students had been working for months on their designs.
A fashion show showcasing the second-year students' work took place at Sneinton Market on Wednesday (October 12). All garments presented in the fashion show have gone on to be donated to Emmanuel House service users.
Many of the service users will choose their own garments. Made from 80% of upcycled materials, students had to think carefully about their designs and how it can be tailored to be suitable, sustainable and warm for homeless people whilst having character.
The fashion show was hosted by the Creative Quarter, which attracts and supports local businesses in Nottingham. Iris Guo, 19, explained her design.
She said: “My inspiration was about shadows and how people tend to ignore them. This entire garment has been reconstructed. I used my grandad's old trench coat as one of the materials.”
Iris’s design is also detachable and can be used as a duvet. She continued: “It can be worn in multiple ways, the back is black so that the design lasts longer, this took a very long time but my favourite part is that there’s a hidden collar.”
Emmanuel House, which is based in Hockley, and Nottingham Trent University have been working together on the project for four years. Fashion student Lexi Edwards, 19, put a lot of thought into her design.
She said: “I wanted to look at Nottingham as a city. As a part of my design, I looked at the war in Afghanistan and Iran. The pockets represent tyre tracks and the colour pallet is a mixture of happy and muted colours. A lot of homeless people don’t want to stand out but still want colour.”
Lexi’s design also transforms into a sleeping bag. Lexi continued: “I enjoyed the project because it was for something.”
Students had to consider functionality when making their designs. If their garment isn’t chosen by a service user to have for free, it will be sold in the Emmanuel House charity shop to raise funds.
Joshua Knapp, 24, said: “The main purpose of my design is for it to be warm, be dry and be functional. The pockets made this tougher to make but it had to have functionality, it couldn’t just look the part. With this design someone who’s quite loud and not afraid to stand out would have to choose it.”
Alastair Paylor, centre manager at Emmanuel House, said: “This has been a partnership with the university for a number of years. We are always wowed by the creativity of students. The designs have to have pockets, be waterproof, and warm. Last year at the shop was A busier year thanks to our volunteers and we look forward to continuing working with the university.”
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