First year BA (Hons) Fashion students have been challenged to design and create sustainable garments to address the climate crisis in their Re-Design and Style module. The project was developed by fashion lecturer – and creator of sustainable fashion brand  TOM-O – Sarah Thompson.

Sarah joined hundreds of tent salvagers that collected tents and unwanted items from Leeds Festival’s Bramham park which see’s organisations and charities repurpose discarded item’s post the event. The BBC reported that, “every year volunteers taking part in the clean-up collect items including sleeping bags, unused food and clothing. Organisations which receive the donated goods include food banks and charities that work with refugees in conflict zones.” For this project Sarah took a small selection of the used tents into the studio for students to design with.

We caught up with fashion student Danielle Croft about her project which included creating a multi-functional design that is not only environmentally friendly but addresses the homelessness crisis, she explains that she was inspired to tackle this issue when she was “walking into a supermarket with my daughter and there was a man sat outside with a old dirty duvet cover over him and he looked so demoralised as people just walked past him without even giving a thought to care.”

“My daughter asked me why he was sat on the floor with a blanket over him, which made me stop to really think about this man who I was going to just walk past and ignore, because it’s become such a normal thing to see and do. Everywhere you go you see homeless people, but you never see anyone actively speaking to them or trying to help them, they are massively ignored.”

The conversation Danielle had with this homeless man made her think about the unknown stories of homeless people, “I asked how he had gotten into such an awful position and the conversation made me think about how some less fortunate people have no other choice because of abusive homes, abusive childhoods, drug and alcohol abuse and how these people need a lifeline. They are human beings with feelings and deserve that second chance especially when they have nobody else. I think that people are so quick to judge based on how a person looks instead of how a person is. A person could be head to toe in designer clothing, and people will have more respect and want to help and do more for that person than they would a man sat in a sleeping bag with nothing who could really do with a helping hand.”

Danielle hopes her design, “help’s remove that stigma around homelessness, give them back a sense of dignity and also empower them. Maybe people will give them more time and effort if they’re not sat with a duvet cover over them, which is where the idea of the different functions of my coat sleeping bag came from.” Danielle’s complex design takes the form of a coat but can turn into a cropped jacket, blanket, shoulder bag and sleeping bag.

Reflecting on it she said, “I think it would give the homeless a confidence boost. I want the coat to symbolise hope for a person in need, because that maybe the push they need to realise they’re worth more than what they think and try to pursue the task of getting off the streets for good.”

Speaking of how the project has influenced her practice she said, “sustainability has a huge impact on my work, and I absolutely love thinking of so many different sustainable ways to tackle the global problems we have now with fast fashion, the cost-of-living crisis and many more issues. The fashion industry is a global influence, and I want to try my best to create worldwide awareness of so many issues using it. Such as using the abandoned tents and sleeping bags to completely create something with so many uses and can really be used for a good cause.”

“Fashion’s influence is a powerful tool and can be used for the greater good and I personally don’t think there is enough awareness especially amongst the younger generation and lower income people as there isn’t a lot of choice of affordable sustainable clothing, which is something I want to focus on to hopefully change in the future. This module has really made me think about just how much fashion can be used for the greater good, and how it can be used to not only make you look good on the outside but feel good on the inside by making a difference in the world one garment at a time!”

You can keep up to date with Danielle’s work on her Instagram @my_fashion_journey_dc 

Further information about The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Fashion degree course is available HERE. Our next open day is 15/03/25 visitors can check out our studios and speak to students and staff to find out more about their chose course, book your place here.