Leeds Beckett University Hosts Sustainable Fashion Event

The International Circular Fashion Week Conference, which took place on 16-17 March, alongside a student-run Oxfam pop-up shop, transformed the university’s Rose Bowl Atrium into a vibrant hub of sustainable fashion. The event featured a series of talks, performances, workshops and creative showcases. 

The event included keynotes from Natascha Radcliffe-Thomas of Ravensbourne University London, who challenged common misconceptions around circular fashion and its potential to reshape the global industry, and dress historian Phillip Warren, Chair of The Costume Society, who explored the historical foundations of clothing and craft traditions. 

A key highlight of the event was The Corset Revival Project, a global creative initiative led by Circular Fashion Incubator CIC and Esther Pugh, Senior Lecturer in Leeds Business School. 

The project began last summer when 150 obsolete corsets were recovered and distributed to designers and artists around the world. Participants were challenged to reimagine the garments using only discarded or reclaimed materials. 

The resulting designs were unveiled in a live fashion show and exhibition during the conference. Selected pieces are now set to tour internationally, including an appearance at Global Sustainable Fashion Week in Budapest. 

The programme also included a handmade craft market, a demonstration of sustainable dye innovation, and a live performance titled Sing the Thread, Move the Memory, which blended music, movement and textile craft. 

Day two of the event continued the conference alongside a lively Oxfam pop-up shop curated by Leeds Beckett students. The student-led retail space offered preloved clothing, books, music and accessories, with live music, DJ sets and interactive installations, including a “living feedback wall” and donation station. 

A series of short talks explored key issues in sustainable fashion, including wellbeing, disability inclusion, affordability and careers in ethical fashion. 

Visitors were also invited to take part in hands-on denim upcycling workshops, learning repair and personalisation techniques using donated garments. 

Dr Esther Pugh said the event aimed to highlight the creative and collaborative potential of sustainable fashion. 

She added: “Circular fashion is a powerful way to rethink how we design, create and value clothing. By embracing more sustainable approaches, the industry can move towards a more responsible future. “Our students are passionate about changing the future of the fashion industry and events like this help them see that sustainability isn’t just an idea, it’s something they can actively practice through upcycling and creative collaboration.”