Caroline turns unwanted leather skins into award-winning fashion collection

A student’s talent for creating something stylish from waste materials secured her a landslide victory in a public vote at a prestigious fashion awards ceremony.

University of Northampton undergraduate, Caroline Sani, won the People’s Choice trophy at the 2022 Fashanne Awards, which sees the best designers from East Midlands and Yorkshire universities go head-to-head.

Caroline’s eye-catching collection, above, saw her use traditional printing techniques utilising dyes, heat transferred and screen printing on unwanted leather skins. She also used creative leather techniques to create the gilets for both outfits. The trouser fabrics for both outfits were dyed, heat transferred, hand screen printed and, to create more dimensionality to the work, traditional pleating techniques were also applied.

Caroline’s course-mate, Ellis Routledge, also tasted success at the awards, where he clinched the runner-up spot in the Menswear Design category, with his Japanese-inspired denim collection.

Senior Lecturer in Fashion, Jane Mills, said: “It’s turning out to be another exceptional year for our students, who have once again wowed the judges and attendees at this prestigious, annual awards show. Ten students from fashion, textiles and footwear were selected because of the creativity and quality of their work.

“We are both proud and pleased for Ellis whose designs were recognised by the judges, and for Caroline who secured a landslide vote for her textile design work winning the People’s Choice Award.”

Fashanne founder, Anne Davies, said: “Fashanne exists not only to promote and showcase the huge talent in our universities but to connect this next generation of designers within the industry, bridging the gap between education and employment.

“Making those connections early on can be incredibly powerful and we are delighted to be a part of such a positive step forward in young designers fledgling careers.”

To view highlights from the live show held in Nottingham, on Thursday 5 May, and see the full list of winners, visit Fashanne.com.