Loughborough fashion students impress NEXT with sustainable capsule collections

Second-year students from Loughborough University’s School of Design and Creative Arts have earned praise from high-street retailer NEXT after designing sustainable capsule collections for a live industry brief. The project challenged students to develop six-look ranges that combine trend-relevant fashion with environmental responsibility for a proposed NEXT sub-brand.

Over six weeks, participants explored sustainable design and manufacturing approaches, including zero-waste and subtraction cutting techniques, while balancing commercial appeal with responsible fabric choices. Students also visited NEXT’s head office, gaining insight from design and buying teams into the realities of commercial fashion.

Retail industry expert Tom Pearce, NEXT’s Menswear Design Manager, reviewed submissions and selected Maithili Deshpande as runner-up for her Reworked Denim collection and Lily Jaques as overall winner for her NEXT Revive line, created from deadstock and returned garments. Pearce praised the students for their creativity, craftsmanship and trend awareness.

Programme leaders said the collaboration strengthens student employability and bridges academic learning with real-world industry practice.