Leeds Beckett Students Set For Oxfam Batley Upcycling Fashion Exhibition - and London Fashion Week

Fashion students from Leeds Beckett University will showcase their creativity and commitment to sustainability at a special exhibition with Oxfam's Textile Upcycle Lab in Batley on Thursday 11 September (2:30-4:30pm). The event highlights the students' innovative work repurposing unsaleable clothing and materials into new, high-fashion pieces - and marks the next step in a journey that has already taken some of them to the national stage.

The exhibition, held at Oxfam Batley's Wastesaver site (Mill Forest Way, WF17 6RA), is part of Oxfam's Second Hand September campaign. Students across all year groups have contributed, drawing inspiration from the environment, music, everyday street style and their own personal journeys. Their work shines a spotlight on the rich heritage of textile recycling in Batley and the surrounding towns of Dewsbury, Morley and Ossett - once at the heart of the Industrial Revolution's shoddy and mungo trade.

Second-year student, Adelaide Coupland, said: "What we're doing is repurposing garments into completely new designs, and it's freeing - you can just see a fabric and imagine your own creation."

Fellow student, Heru Nassar, added:"Clothes have too short a lifespan, and we need to extend it as much as possible. This project allows us to do just that."

The exhibition also celebrates the Northern fashion ecosystem: Leeds Beckett students, Northern-based creatives, street-cast models, and makeup artists all contribute to a project that reflects the region's growing reputation for sustainable design.

The partnership has already earned national recognition. Two Leeds Beckett students - Brad Smith and Joyce Kotei - have been invited to present their work at Oxfam x Vinted’s London Fashion Week show, in collaboration with renowned stylist and Second Hand September co-founder Bay Garnett. The invitation recognises their 'outstanding contribution to the Oxfam x Leeds Beckett University Textile Upcycle Lab Project, where their creativity, hard work and passion for sustainable fashion truly shone through'.

Bay Garnett, a pioneer of second-hand fashion and long-time Oxfam collaborator, has played a leading role in shifting the perception of pre-loved clothing. Her influence connects Leeds Beckett students' work with a global movement that champions sustainability, creativity and accessibility in fashion.

This project is not only a showcase of garments, but also of vision: an example of how repurposed textiles, new ideas, and Northern talent can inspire change across the industry.

Sam Hudson Miles, Fashion Course Director at Leeds Beckett University, said: "This experience at Oxfam Wastesaver, Batley, has been a great opportunity for our Fashion Design students. Working in this industry setting, they can be free with their creative thinking whilst learning more about the considerations when making a commercially viable garment, and ways in which to put their learning into practice, applying their creativity within the parameters of working with clothing and textiles that have been donated to Oxfam and are in an unsaleable condition. Their creative thinking has, therefore, been focussed on reimagining these garments as desirable pieces that will be worn again - and loved by the wearer. This is a significant learning curve for them in the context of responsible design and using what is available to make something with a strong aesthetic quality, whilst also having functionality and saleability. This 5-month project has culminated in a selection of their pieces having been curated by renowned stylist, Bay Garnett, and showcased at London Fashion Week as part of Oxfam's Second Hand September initiative."

Discover more about Fashion Design at Leeds Beckett University.