Future stars of the fashion industry join Graduate Fashion Week showcase

A Fashion student with a collection created using pre-loved football strips, including Newcastle United shirts, was among the award winners from Northumbria University at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week.

Liv Ashton’s designs celebrating working class culture, named Giz A Fiver, scooped a highly commended award on the Northumbria Catwalk at the prestigious event held annually in London to provide a platform for new talent. But the creativity and skill showcased in her final designs were even more impressive after the 23-year-old temporarily lost the sight in one of her eyes earlier this year due to chronic migraines.

“I found it really hard to pull back and allow myself to recover, but that’s what I had to do,” explained Liv, who received the treatment and support she needed to manage her condition. She went on to use match day scarves and football shirts sourced from charity shops to create garments, including a military-style poncho which she envisages fans wearing in the stands, on a budget.

“I wanted to create something that was an authentic representation of working class culture and how I grew up. Because I’m from a small pit village in County Durham, football and Newcastle United were naturally a big part of that.”

Liv’s work was featured in London alongside 21 other Northumbria Fashion students, due to graduate this month, who were successfully shortlisted across 15 categories.

Vibrant colours and handwoven textiles, influenced by Sri Lanka’s handloom legacy, dominate the womenswear collection developed by Methulie Jayawickrama. After featuring three times in the shortlist, Methulie took home the Hilary Alexander Sustainable Trailblazer Collection Award at Graduate Fashion Week and received a special mention on the Northumbria Catwalk. Judges picked out Nell Linihan-Patel’s collection of garments, printed to represent the hues of a cityscape between sunset and dusk, as overall winner of the Northumbria Catwalk.

Emily Kitson’s creations, which include an adaptable garment for people who live with a stoma bag, won her praise and a place on the shortlist for the Inclusive Fashion Award at Graduate Fashion Week. Determined to make fashion accessible for all, Emily is also part of a project called Designed for Dignity, created by the social enterprise Carents, in order to make sure stylish but practical clothing is available for older people in the UK who are dealing with frailty and the consequences of ageing.

After her skills in creating knitwear won her a place on the shortlist for the Fashion Portfolio Award at Graduate Fashion Week, Beth Harrison-Frater went on to win a nationwide competition with Japanese knit production company, SHIMA, which involves an all expenses paid two-week trip to Japan to gain experience while working with the company.

Elsewhere in the class of 2025, Ocean Bryson was chosen of as one of the finalists for the Catwalk Colour Award with Coloro at Graduate Fashion Week, the pattern cutting skills of Rose Jordan saw her make the shortlist for the Fashion Illustration Award, and a capsule collection for Autumn/Winter 2025, designed by Kamile Kartunaviciute, has already been named the winner of the Next Graduate Fashion Foundation Design and Trend Competition.

Following their trip to London, and as part of the annual REVEAL degree shows which showcase final year projects from students across creative and cultural disciplines at Northumbria, the Fashion students hosted a catwalk evening at the University for family, friends and invited guests. The event was supported by fashion and lifestyle brand, Disturbia.

Sarah Walton, Director of Fashion programmes at Northumbria University, said it was "incredibly important" for students to lean into their own background and experiences when creating designs.

"We find that some of the most successful projects we have are about a student's cultural heritage," she explained. “We’re so proud of all final year students who have really put the work in to end their degrees with such a positive hands-on experience. Making sure all students have industry experience and the chance to build connections so they leave us with that career readiness is something we work hard to do really well at Northumbria. Taking a team down to Graduate Fashion Week is one of the many ways we do that.

“Increasingly, many of our students are entrepreneurial and have aspirations of starting their own brand, so they also receive first class mentorship from our Graduate Futures team with support and advice on everything from a business plan to marketing.”

View a digital runway, showcasing some of the designs by the Class of 2025, at www.northumbriafashion.com/digital-fashion

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