College student wins recycled clothing design competition

27th February 2014 4:49pm - Return to press releases

East Riding College student Jolene Smith has won a competition to design an outfit using only recycled materials.
She was one of a number of learners who tested their design skills at a fashion show using junk clothing, old sheets and curtains.
The show, at Beverley Leisure Complex, was held by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to highlight the mountain of clothes, textiles and shoes sent to landfill.
Taking part were students from East Riding College, Bishop Burton College and Driffield School.

Jolene’s tutor at East Riding College, Joy Verda, said: “Jolene created a beautiful dress using old curtains and a bodice with strips of material from our scraps box.
“It’s a wonderful piece of work and she is a deserving winner of this competition, which really does put learners’ design skills to the test.”

Councillor Symon Fraser, portfolio holder for environment, housing and planning at the council, said: “The amount of clothing and household items like curtains that we send to landfill is staggering.
“In the East Riding we throw away the equivalent in weight of three million pairs of jeans. Stack them up and that would look almost like a block of flats. 
“While this competition is fun there is a serious side to it. Those taking part are learning how not to be part of the throw-away society and are showing others what can be done.”

 

Those taking part were  required to design a garment for evening wear using discarded clothing or textiles from charity shops or that was about to be thrown away. The winners were presented with their prizes by Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of the council.

 

The judges were Dr Tracey Cassidy, a lecturer at the University of Leeds and trained fashion designer, and Denise Davies, a well-known local teacher who taught textiles for over 20 years. She is currently the chief examiner for AQA GCSE Textiles Technology and principal moderator for A-level Product Design: Textiles.

 

The winning outfits and items are on display in the Treasure House, Beverley for two weeks.