Join LCF's shortlisted students as they prepare for the final stage of Burberry x CSF Reimagining Materials competition
- Written byLondon College of Fashion
- Published date 12 December 2024
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Created in partnership between Burberry and Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), a UAL research centre based at London College of Fashion (LCF), the Reimagining Materials Competition presented a unique opportunity for students to develop creative ways to make use of Burberry's surplus materials.
Earlier this year, LCF students submitted manifestos, which centred on circular design; reinventing material excess into a single product. Twenty students were shortlisted for the competition, with the winner to be announced in January 2025, who will receive a cash prize and three-month design internship at Burberry.
We followed their journey through the shortlisting process to see how they’re getting on.
On 12 November the shortlisted students attended the first briefing session at our East Bank campus to celebrate their achievement, hear about the next steps, and receive their materials packs from Burberry. Containing iconic Burberry trench gabardine, check lining, leather, and a selection of trims, the students were encouraged to use and align the materials in the pack with their original shortlisted concept, while allowing room for creative discernment based on the materials available.
The briefing also allowed students to make use of expert guidance from the CSF and Burberry teams and ask questions about materials, use of technical equipment, and the upcoming prototype sessions. CSF provided sustainability and circular design know-how and a recap on the judging criteria for the competition, including originality, creativity, feasibility, sustainability, use of Burberry house codes, aesthetics and heritage.
Fully briefed, and to inspire their concepts, the students were invited to a talk on 20 November with Carly Eck, Brand Curator of the Burberry Archive. The talk detailed the history and evolution of Burberry, and Thomas Burberry's creation of the innovative material, gabardine, the world's first weatherproof fabric, which took 23 years to develop from 1856 to 1879.
Carly spoke about the properties of gabardine, which make up the classic Burberry trench coat, with original features like the throat latch and gun flap, which has evolved from military necessity to a fashion staple. Merging functionality and aesthetics, the Burberry trench coat has evolved, with the iconic check lining becoming popular in the 1960s and now being a principal element of the piece.
Carly gave insight into Burberry’s iconic house codes, including the Equestrian Knight Design logo, with the knight representing honour, the shield protection and the lance reform. These heritage emblems inspired many of the shortlisted prototypes.
In the final part of the shortlisting experience, to aid prototype design, students were invited back to Burberry’s London headquarters. Students were given 20-minute slots to explain their concept and show their physical prototype to the Burberry team, who offered insights on structure, pricing, commerciality, construction, and functionality.
Eva Clarkson, MA Fashion Design Technology (Womenswear), designed a reversible trench coat inspired by her upbringing in the equine countryside, emphasising heritage.
Taewan Kim, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Menswear took inspiration from Thomas Burberry’s original trench coat aimed to protect from the weather. Reimagining this in a contemporary context, Taewan is creating a flexible, weatherproof vest that aims to respond to unpredictable and warmer weather. Keeping circular design central to the idea, the piece is designed to be an outerwear waistcoat that can also change into a bag.
Lucia Gudean, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear, presented an impressive backpack, coupled with a life-size paper model for the benefit of the session. Lucia drew inspiration from exploring vintage and modern bags and asking friends and family what versatile piece they would want to see, and would continuously re-wear, incorporating functional elements such as shoulder padding.
The Burberry x CSF Reimagining Materials competition winner will be announced in January 2025 and will receive a cash prize, a 3-month internship at Burberry, and have their work featured in an exhibition at LCF’s East Bank campus later in 2025.