Celebrating LCF students’ success at the PRME Responsible Business and Management Student Writing Competition
- Written byS Cheevers
- Published date 25 September 2025
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The annual Responsible Business and Management Student Writing Competition, hosted by Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), showcases student research and creativity in the fields of sustainability, ethics, and responsible leadership. A collaboration between PRME Chapter UK & Ireland and Oxford Brookes Business School, the prestigious competition invites submissions from a wide range of disciplines. Entries must link with the UN Sustainable Development Goals or explore themes related to responsible business, management and leadership.
Earlier this year, we celebrated 3 talented London College of Fashion (LCF), UAL students from the Fashion Business School at LCF, who were recognised in this year’s competition.
First Prize - Alternative Media category
Charlie Bentley, MA Fashion Design Management student, created a digital sketchbook and reflective commentary on the theme of how emerging technologies might be utilised to offer individuals with motor-physical difficulties better accessibility to clothing and personal style.
Second Prize – Postgraduate Essay category
Rhythanya Pandian, MA Fashion Design Management student, explored a critical evaluation of the design management principles applied at the fashion company Ted Baker, offering thoughtful insights into the brand’s operational and creative strategies.
Joint Second Prize – Alternative Media category
Letycia Thedric, BSc (Hons) Fashion Management student, created an infographic-rich video centred on sustainable supply chain management at street fashion brand Weekday.
To further highlight this success, Rhythanya and Charlie compiled an article summarising their winning projects, which was published in the Textile Institue magazine, published on 21 July.
We recently caught up with the winners to hear more about their writing, the competition and their LCF journey.
Congratulations on receiving a prize in the PRME UK Student Writing Competition! How does it feel to have your work recognised in this way?
Charlie: Recognition from PRME UK and the Textile Institute boosted my confidence in writing and problem-solving. My submission was for my postgraduate module, and I had never studied fashion or management before (my undergraduate was in History). This recognition strengthens my conviction about my future path.
Rhythanya: Thank you! It’s truly an honour to have my work recognised by PRME UK and featured in the Textile Institute. My piece tackled post-bankruptcy challenges and sustainable repositioning, critical but often overlooked issues in the fashion industry. The recognition of these themes has been thoroughly encouraging and has reaffirmed my belief in research-driven design management and integrating sustainability with commercial strategy.
Letycia: It feels incredibly rewarding to have my work recognised, especially because it discusses such a pressing issue in the fashion industry. It is particularly meaningful because I was able to demonstrate how a high-street fashion brand, such as Weekday, can adopt sustainable operations without compromising their market position. This competition affirmed my ability to engage with complex, real-world challenges and to develop solutions that are both commercially viable and environmentally responsible.
Can you tell us a bit about your piece of writing and the inspiration behind it? How did this piece of work develop?
Charlie: My project (a combined digital sketchbook and essay) originated from exploring ways of including individuals with motor-physical difficulties in personal style and fashion more broadly. My father has Parkinson's Disease, and I have seen the accommodations that were required around personal style to make life easier. There were "disabled fashion brands" providing easy-to-wear clothes, but I knew that my dad, and many others that I interviewed, did not want to sacrifice the clothes they already had in their wardrobes. After ideating, I created a prototype. This is based on a network of tailors, supported by charities, that provide one-on-one alteration services to speed up putting clothes on and taking them off, for example, adding hidden magnetic closures to a button-up shirt.
Rhythanya: My piece explored Ted Baker’s online relaunch and how the brand can strategically navigate supply chain risks in a post-bankruptcy landscape. I’ve always been fascinated by brand turnarounds, particularly how fashion labels rebuild trust, relevance, and operational strength after a crisis. Ted Baker’s transition from a high-street mainstay to an online-only business presented a timely case study on resilience, transparency, and innovation. The process allowed me to combine critical thinking with real-world strategy, a skill I’m passionate about bringing into my future career in fashion management.
Letycia: My work focused on Weekday's knitwear collection supply chain, analysing their current sustainability practices and identifying opportunities for improvement. I was inspired by the contradiction within fast fashion brands (such as Weekday), which, despite being part of conglomerates with ambitious sustainability goals (such as H&M Group), continue to face significant environmental challenges. I decided to focus on Weekday's knitwear supply chain because I noticed a real disconnect between their promotion of a responsible image, versus their largely unsustainable product materials and customer opinion. This motivated me to develop a practical roadmap for how Weekday could improve its environmental performance without compromising commercial competitiveness.
After extensive analysis, I developed 4 key improvement areas: smarter demand planning using AI, circular manufacturing methods, better energy management, and enhanced recycling programs. Each recommendation came with specific targets and achievable timelines.
What was most valuable about this process, and how was your course helpful in providing you with knowledge and skills to enter the competition?
Charlie: The most valuable part of this process was, by far, the interviews with individuals with motor-physical difficulties. Empathising and understanding their day-to-day experiences provided a wealth of insights. The variety in motor-physical disabilities was particularly pertinent, as it helped hone the idea of personal tailoring and adaptation. My course at LCF taught me how to structure these interviews under different frameworks, as well as providing continuous helpful guidance from teachers.
Rhythanya: The most valuable part of the process was learning to balance theoretical frameworks with real-world applicability. My course at LCF gave me the tools to critically analyse business environments while encouraging me to bring my own voice and vision to industry challenges. Modules on sustainability, innovation, and strategic foresight were particularly helpful. The feedback from my tutors pushed me to sharpen my arguments and substantiate them with strong evidence, which made the final piece both academically sound and practically relevant.
Letycia: I learnt how to balance ambitious sustainability goals with commercial realities. Specifically, how sustainable implementation impacts cost structure, and insights into customer perception due to communication and transparency. My course played a key role in preparing me for this challenge by equipping me with analytical frameworks and a strong foundation in data-based recommendations. The integration of business strategy and sustainability throughout the course was important in enabling me to approach this real-world problem with both depth and practicality.
What are you planning to do with your prize?
Charlie: Tough question! I'm hoping to move to Paris after the Summer for a graduate scheme. My French is okay... but I think an intensive language course might be something to spend the prize money on.
Rhythanya: If possible, I’d love to use the prize money to travel. I’ve been wanting to visit fashion hubs, exhibitions, and cultural spaces across Europe, not just for inspiration, but to better understand how different places approach design, sustainability, and innovation. I think it would really expand my perspective and give me ideas I can take forward in my own work. I also see it as a chance to meet creatives and changemakers along the way, which could open conversations and collaborations that tie into my long-term goals in responsible fashion and design management.
Letycia: I'll enjoy some of it to celebrate! But other than that, I'll make use of this prize to invest in my personal and professional development.
