Fasten your seatbelts, student designers rise to the challenge with international safety campaign

Seatbelts never looked so stylish thanks to a team of student designers from the University of Northampton, who are turning road safety into runway-ready fashion in a bold new international campaign.

Students of Fashion, Textiles and Footwear at the University of Northampton – Anna Shirley, Alice Joy Homer, Joanna Penc and Niall Walker – were challenged this summer to come up with a collection of fashion designs based entirely around seatbelts for scrap car price comparison service, Scrap Car Comparison.

Developed within a 10-week industry collaboration, ‘The Essential Collection’ features wearable, unisex items that incorporate both seatbelt straps and buckles, to highlight the importance of wearing a seatbelt in a car. The results –  innovative, powerful designs using unconventional, sustainable materials.

One of the creatives involved is Coventry-based student Anna Shirley, whose designs offer a sculptural response to the immediate, explosive force of a crash with the Impact Corse, transforming the essence of destruction into bold, wearable design.

“My final-year collection is inspired by Victorian corsetry, and I wanted to reflect this in my designs for the campaign – so I’ve created a corset predominantly using seatbelts.

“Overall, working on this project has been incredibly insightful — not only has it deepened my understanding of the serious consequences of neglecting road safety, but it also challenged me to think creatively with unconventional, difficult materials.

“Transforming reclaimed seatbelts into a statement garment pushed the boundaries of design and reinforced how fashion can be a powerful platform for social awareness.”

“Using unconventional hardware as a starting point reshaped the design process, and it became about letting function lead form,” adds fellow Fashion student, Niall Walker. “Working with seatbelt components challenged me to approach bag design as both a problem-solving task and material exploration.”

Niall’s duffle bag design is crafted from reclaimed seatbelts as well as end-of-life garments from Decathlon – heavy-duty seatbelt buckles and straps wrap around a structured silhouette, transforming them into a strong piece able to carry whatever you need.

From the familiar click of the multi-way straps that enable the bag to be worn in many configurations, to the weight of the straps over the shoulder, the piece reminds us that safety is something that should always be carried with us.

Programme Leader for Fashion, Emmeline Child said: “This initiative has not only allowed us to raise awareness of seatbelts and their necessity, but enabled greater discourse around unconventional usable materials and upcycling techniques in fashion.

“This project evidences how fashion reflects society and can be a powerful tool to engage in important social issues.”

The designs feature front-and-centre in all visual publicity for the campaign, which will add immeasurable value to their industry experience as they prepare to enter the industry after graduation.

Each of the designs in The Essential Collection is available to purchase on eBay until 10am on Monday 8 September, either at auction or for the ‘Buy It Now’ price of £208.

The price point reflects not only the exceptional craftsmanship and time invested by the students but also serves as a symbolic tribute to the estimated 208 young lives lost as a result of road collisions, while not wearing a seatbelt.

Proceeds from the collection will go directly to Brake, the road safety charity, to fund their vital work campaigning to end road death and injury and supporting families who have been bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes.

Find out more about studying Fashion, Textiles and Footwear at the University of Northampton.