Burberry has partnered with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), based at London College of Fashion (LCF), University of the Arts London (UAL), to launch ‘Reimagining Materials,’ a new student competition that highlights its focus on circularity in design. This collaboration is part of the broader Burberry sustainable fashion initiative, reflecting the brand’s commitment to promoting innovative and eco-conscious practices.
Rooted in a rich tradition of craftsmanship, the partnership brought together LCF’s talented fashion students and members of Burberry’s creative and commercial teams to explore the concept of circularity. The competition provided students with a platform to display their creativity while learning from Burberry’s product experts through a series of review sessions.
Over the course of several months, 20 shortlisted students were presented with a real-world industry brief. They were tasked with finding innovative ways to transform surplus materials—such as Burberry’s iconic trench gabardine, Check lining fabric, leather, and trims—into original, sustainable products.
As part of the competition, the students participated in portfolio and prototype review sessions and attended an educational workshop that explored Burberry’s heritage and design codes. Their designs were then evaluated by a panel of judges, which included representatives from Burberry’s product, digital, and merchandising divisions, alongside members of CSF’s knowledge exchange team.
The winning design came from Clara Gröning, a BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development student at LCF. Her unique creation, along with nine other finalists’ designs, was showcased at the ‘Reimagining Materials’ exhibition in the Wolfson Gallery at LCF’s new East Bank campus. The designs were also featured at Burberry’s flagship Regent Street store in London. As part of her prize, Clara received a cash reward and will join Burberry for an internship this autumn.
The ‘Reimagining Materials’ programme, which is part of the Burberry sustainable fashion initiative, builds on the brand’s existing efforts to nurture young talent. With support from Burberry’s Early Careers team, the initiative provides students and recent graduates with firsthand industry experience. Other efforts include partnerships with the National Saturday Club and The BRIT School.
“Burberry to me is very synonymous with heritage. I have always been fascinated by brands with strong visual brand language and company code, because it is an interesting challenge to adhere to this, whilst still reinventing yourself. I think that was my favourite part of this competition,” said Clara Gröning.
Helen Davis, VP of product strategy and a member of Burberry’s judging panel, shared her thoughts: “We are delighted to be able to partner with Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), London College of Fashion (LCF), UAL to bring this competition to life. With the support of our incredible judging panel, we were able to create a competition with CSF that really challenged the students to think outside of the box and build circularity into a practical design brief. We were so impressed by the calibre and creativity of all the designs, and by how dynamically each student applied their design skills throughout the competition.”
Professor Dilys Williams, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at LCF, UAL, added, “The Reimagining Materials competition is a magnificent manifestation of how relationships can create knowledge, skills and capabilities that contribute to a prosperous world we can all enjoy. Relationships are formed through mutual curiosity, shared interests and openness for co-learning; qualities we have seen throughout the phases of the competition, clearly embodied in the thoughtful circular designs of our finalists and winner.”
