GB MET students featured in distinguished fashion magazine - Drapers
Final year BA (Hons) Fashion student, Eloise Burgess, has been selected to appear in the next edition of Drapers Record, the leading authority on fashion retailing in the UK.
Eloise upcycled tents to create waterproof, multifunctional garments for her final collection as part of her course. When speaking to Eloise about her accomplishment, we asked about what inspired her. She said: “My collection was inspired by an article I read about the tent waste from the Reading Festival, and how that waste from one festival would take 10,000 years to break down.
I put an advert out on my local selling pages asking for the public's broken or old tents. I was inundated with people telling me they were so glad I was recycling them as they felt awful sending old tents to landfill. When I unpacked the tents I couldn't believe how much fabric, zippers and fastenings there were available to reuse.”
GB MET’s Fashion programme is part of the Graduate Fashion Foundation, and student work was submitted to Graduate Fashion Week for media showcases for Fashion Graduates Class of 2022.
Eloise worked with two other students on the project: BA (Hons) Fashion student, Romy Valentine and BA (Hons) Make up and Hair for Theatre and Media student, Vassilios Argholekas (@eliakiem).
She said: “Romy (who modelled) was incredibly professional; she's creative within her own right and has an incredible energy that creates an exciting atmosphere when shooting. Her style is unique and she is confident enough to offer suggestions when it comes to poses and specific shots.”
“Vas, a student at Brighton MET, did the makeup. They were professional and great to work with. We had many discussions before the shoot to brainstorm makeup ideas and on the day they were set up and ready before we even got there”
“Both were fantastic to work with and I was so grateful for their artistic input.”
Following the submission of Eloise’s work for Graduate Fashion Week, Drapers reached out asking to use images of her work in their upcoming June issue.
Programme Leader for Fashion Design, Gayle Atkins, said: “Eloise has been a committed student throughout the degree in Fashion. Even when the UK was in lockdown she was able to complete a work placement with the Vampire's Wife couture fashion house.
Her final collection reflects her passion for sustainable design solutions. I am so pleased to see her creative work being recognised in a well respected fashion journal.”
“I believe as up and coming designers, it is our responsibility to find innovative ways to reuse what is already available. I want our love of clothes and identity to not come at a cost to our planet and I believe this isn't a far fetched idea, but one that is sitting in our landfills, waiting to be reused.” - Eloise Burgess BA (Hons) Fashion student
We here at GB MET are excited to see what the future holds for Eloise and all those involved. Be sure to look out for Eloise’s innovative work in Drapers GFW June issue.