Leeds Beckett fashion students give second-hand clothing  new life with Oxfam

In August, students from Leeds School of Arts took their work to Oxfam’s Headingley shop, displaying pieces created entirely from second-hand clothing and textiles that would otherwise have gone unsold.

Now in its second year, the collaboration gives students the opportunity to work with existing materials and explore how sustainable approaches can inspire the design process.

Rather than treating sustainability as a standalone element of their studies, the project helps embed circular thinking into the way students approach fashion, encouraging them to see unwanted garments not as waste, but as the starting point for something new.

Four students at different stages of their studies took part in the latest project.

Joyce Kotei, who graduated this summer, recently won the Leeds Beckett University Accelerator programme, receiving £1,000 in seed funding to support the launch of her own fashion brand.

Fellow graduate Brad Smith has already taken his work with Oxfam to a national audience, showcasing his designs at London Fashion Week.

Juliet Skaife is continuing her relationship with Oxfam as she begins a placement year with the charity this September, while Alice Palazon is entering the second year of her course and already runs her own sustainable bag brand alongside her studies.

Each student worked with clothing that could no longer be sold in its original form, transforming the materials into new, wearable pieces.
The collaboration with Oxfam is now entering its third year, with sustainability continuing to shape the Leeds Beckett Fashion course.