The Wool4School 2022/23 United Kingdom competition invited students to design a unique outfit that blends both old and new, featuring pre-loved items and a minimum of 70% Merino wool.
Ria Singh from Edgbaston High School for Girls is the senior student competition winner for an upcycled wool evening wear design. Judged by International Woolmark Prize 2022 winner, Saul Nash, the evening wear design is inspired by an image of elephants feeding on landfill to highlight the vulnerability of animals in connection to textile waste.
Ria’s evening wear design uses Merino wool for its thermoregulation properties, odour resistance and comfort that can be worn at any event. The design also uses wool stuffing from used mattresses which are prone to ending up in landfill, as well as twisted colourful strands of woollen fabric from used scarves and a pre-owned melton wool coat.
VIP judge, Saul Nash, highlighted that Ria’s Wool4School design embraces upcycling, understands the end-user of the garment and features drawings that clearly communicate the designer’s intentions:
“It’s interesting to see how this designer chooses to upcycle wool to create almost couture evening wear. It is also clear that this designer understands customers and the drawings clearly communicate their intentions”, said Saul Nash.
Ria has won a suite of Wool4School prizes including a short course at University of the Arts London, an XP-Pen Graphic Tablet and a 1-year subscription to Vogue magazine.
The winning design has been recreated into a digital avatar.
We caught up with Ria to discuss Wool4School:
What made you enter the competition?
I entered the competition as it was introduced to me by my teacher, Mr Ford, and I thought it was an amazing opportunity to gain feedback from a designer as well as gain industry experience.
I was initially enticed to enter the competition as I knew it would be an invaluable experience, where the worst outcome would be that I didn't place, but even if this had been the case, I still would have learnt many creditable aspects of fashion design along the way, which I can proudly take away. I have the aspiration of pursuing a career in the field of fashion design, and therefore I knew this was something extremely advantageous to take part in, regardless of the outcome.
Can you explain your design?
Wool4School revealed the brief as being upcycling, this immediately attracted me to the competition, as my generation in particular are becoming more woke about sustainable shopping.
My design stemmed from the uprising crisis of landfill; this is such an urgent matter that needs to be addressed more. My biggest concern lies with the crippling welfare of the animals that feed off the landfill, such as elephants.
Therefore, I decided to create a couture runway play-suit-design for Stella McCartney, reflecting the entrapment of elephants within their own habitat, that should be safe, but it is dangerous and threatening. My design is exclusively made up of pre-loved items, found on websites such as eBay.
What was your favourite part of the competition?
My favourite part of the competition was definitely the process, by which I delved into my creative side and fell further in love with fashion design, this reaffirmed that it is the career path I definitely want to go down. This provided me with the space to push my own creative boundaries and become innovative.
What are your thoughts on your win?
Winning the competition was something I never expected, I saw it as an opportunity to grow as a textile's student, rather than a competition. This has taught me a valuable lesson to have faith in myself and trust the process.
There were times where my workload felt slightly overwhelming, but with the right balance, it was all worth it. I would encourage everyone thinking of entering this competition to go for it, you have just as good a chance as anybody.
Advice for students taking part next year?
My advice would be push beyond the ordinary. Be bold and creative, there are no limits in the world of art. As long as you put passion and energy into your designs, you will thrive. I wish everybody pursuing this in the future the best of luck, it is an amazing competition.
Registration of interest for the Wool4School 2023/24 competition has begun, with next year’s competition exploring the theme ‘Earth, Water, Fire, Air’. You can register your interest for Wool4School 2023/24 here.
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The Wool4School 2022/23 United Kingdom competition invited students to design a unique outfit that blends both old and new, featuring pre-loved items and a minimum of 70% Merino wool.
