Skip to content

Next set Textile Design students a project to design menswear apparel and accessories

Second year students design textile prints and knitwear in response to a brief set by the UK’s biggest fashion and lifestyle retailer

    The winning Next live project team
    The Next project winning team in the Textile Design studios

    Students in their second year of the BA (Hons) Textile Design course at Nottingham Trent University have been working on a creative brief for Next, the biggest fashion and lifestyle retailer in the UK, and Europe’s largest online clothing retailer. With a focus on the menswear department, the students were challenged to create innovative concepts for printed, knitted and woven products for the Autumn/Winter 2018 range.

    The students embarked on an initial research period, in which they explored Next’s wider market position as a leading fashion retailer, reflecting on the competitive nature of the market alongside current trends and aspirational brands. Throughout their research and concept development, students were tasked with considering Next’s core customers, ensuring designs resonated with these customer profiles, addressing their wants and needs.

    Students from Knit, Print, Embroidery and Weave specialisms within the Textile Design course responded to the live brief, leading to an impressive and diverse array of work. This included CAD illustrations, fabric samples, mood boards and final design visualisations.

    Students selected for work placements at Next
    The Next project individual placement winners

    Michael Wheeler, Head Graphic Designer for Menswear at Next, visited NTU to judge the live project submissions earlier in February. After a tough decision, he named a winning team made up of Emily Clark, Sophie Clifford, Yasmin Lari and Hannah O’Brien. All the students in the winning team will get the chance to take up a work placement at Next’s head offices.

    Sophie Clifford commented: "What I enjoyed the most about the project was the freedom I had to show my personality within my designs when exploring future trends. Although I like to be individual, teamwork and communication were also key in order to make our final collection cohesive. I'm so excited to be able to submerse myself in a professional environment in order to gain valuable experience for the future."

    The standard of work was so high across the board that Michael additionally recognised six individual students with whom he was highly impressed. Dylan Browning, Libby Delso, Amy Eccleston, Minnie George, Olivia Hague and Alex Turner were all awarded work placements.

    Michael commented: "It was a great pleasure working with the NTU students on this project and seeing their work progress. The work they produced was outstanding and we were pleased with the variety and diversity of work created. We are looking forward to welcoming the winning students to our design studio."

    Published on 14 February 2018
    • Category: NTU Arts; School of Art & Design