Fashion Student Wins Prestigious Burberry Award Ahead of Annual Leeds Beckett Fashion Show

This is the third year in a row in which staff from Burberry have been mentoring final-year BA (Hons) Fashion Design students from the Leeds School of Arts while they produce their graduate portfolios. The aim is to make them industry ready, so they can hit the ground running in their postgraduate careers.

The process sees senior Burberry colleagues running a live project, beginning with a brief to all the fashion students. Halfway through the project, Burberry return to receive invaluable mentoring and guidance around key issues such as pricing, commerciality, logistics and more. The aim is to get the students thinking past their collections to how they’d make them work in the real world of fashion retail.

Finally, the best portfolios were shortlisted and taken to the judging round. Each of the chosen students was interviewed, receiving advice on how to find a niche within the hugely competitive fashion industry. The focus this year was on thinking beyond the classic areas of womenswear or menswear, instead considering print, knit, accessories and childrenswear. 

It was Cinnamon Clark who ended up winning ‘best collection’, designing stage outfits for Leeds-based band Until Joy. This unique, real-world approach helping her to stand out. Her clothes shine a light on rising talent in the local music scene, but also show a commitment to sustainability, with all the fabrics either sourced from charity shops or from friends. 

Kevin Walton, the Vice President for Product Development, RTW at Burberry, was impressed: “I believe Cinnamon was a truly deserving recipient of our award this year. I deeply admired her clear vision and creativity. She delivered a collection that was not only sustainable and technically refined but also inclusive, demonstrating a thoughtful and forward-thinking approach to fashion. She is undoubtedly a rising talent to watch closely, and I feel privileged to have worked with her at the very beginning of what promises to be an inspiring journey.”

Delighted with her award, Cinnamon said: “Meeting with Burberry was extremely exciting for my course mates and I. Working with them was an amazing opportunity to learn what the larger industry is focused on. Winning this award means absolutely everything to me. A lot of undergrads can probably relate to the feeling of fear that they may have made a wrong choice coming to university, or they could've done more etc. I'm a massively anxious 'what if' person but receiving this award has reassured me that everything was worth it, and I should believe in myself more. I do have a talent, and I am proud of myself.

Sam Hudson-Miles, Course Director, added: “Leeds Beckett Fashion is thrilled to celebrate our dynamic partnership with Burberry, now in its third year. Burberry's commitment to providing consistent mentorship and support has offered our students invaluable industry insight. Their guidance has not only prepared our students for the industry but has also offered direct feedback on the commercialisation of their designs and prototypes, along with personalised 1:1 guidance on carving out their potential niche within the fashion world. Burberry's support has been extraordinary, encompassing fabric donations, live projects, industry visits, mentorship and their generous sponsorship of our 2024 graduate fashion show. We are excited to continue this incredible journey with Burberry and look forward to further developing our relationship.”

Find out more about Leeds School of Arts and the graduate fashion show.