Burberry partners with London College of Fashion on Reimagining Materials Student Competition

British luxury fashion house Burberry has partnered with London College of Fashion's (LCF) Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) University of the Arts London (UAL) on a Student Competition that reinforces circularity through design.

Titled 'Reimagining Materials', the competition provided 20 shortlisted students from LCF with an opportunity to showcase their creativity and learn about the brands' rich history of product craftsmanship.

Over the course of several months, members of Burberry's creative and commercial teams joined these students in a series of portfolio and prototype review sessions and an educational workshop to explore the theme of circularity. The students were then asked to present new and exciting ways of reinventing surplus materials, including Burberry's iconic trench gabardine, Burberry Check lining fabric, leather and a selection of trims, into original products.

Their designs were judged by a panel comprised of representatives from Burberry's Product, Digital and Merchandising teams, and members of CSF's Knowledge Exchange team. The winning design belongs to Clara Groning, BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development student at LCF who in addition to receiving a cash prize, will join Burberry for an internship this autumn.

Clara's original piece, alongside nine other selected finalists' work, were displayed at Burberry's London Regent Street store and was also showcased at the 'Reimagining Materials' exhibition held in the Wolfson Gallery at London College of Fashion's new home at East Bank.

'We are delighted to be able to partner with Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), London College of Fashion (LCF), UAL to bring this competition to life. With the support of our incredible judging panel, we were able to create a competition with CSF that really challenged the students to think outside of the box and build circularity into a practical design brief. We were so impressed by the caliber and creativity of all the designs, and by how dynamically each student applied their design skills throughout the competition,' Helen Davis VP Product Strategy and member of Burberry judging panel said in a press release.

'The Reimagining Materials Competition is a magnificent manifestation of how relationships can create knowledge, skills and capabilities that contribute to a prosperous world we can all enjoy. Relationships are formed through mutual curiosity, shared interests and an openness for co-learning; qualities we have seen throughout the phases of the competition, clearly embodied in the thoughtful circular designs of our finalists and winner,' Professor Dilys Williams Director of Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, UAL

Commenting on her victory, Groning said: 'Burberry to me is very synonymous with heritage. I have always been fascinated by brands with strong visual brand language and company code, because it is an interesting challenge to adhere to this, whilst still reinventing yourself. I think that was my favorite part of this competition.'

Burberry's 'Reimagining Materials' program builds on a range of initiatives that Burberry offers to help talented young people and recent graduates gain first-hand experience alongside industry professionals, supported by Burberry's Early Careers team.

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