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A fashion student has designed a knitwear range out of objects found at the beach

A fashion student at Nottingham Trent University has designed a knitwear range out of objects found at the beach

    Harriet.jpg
    Harriet Harrison with her designs
    Picture credit: Pushpita Chatterjee

    Fashion student creates outfit with litter on the beach

    A fashion student has designed a knitwear range out of objects found at the beach, writes student journalist Jyothsna Nelloolichalil.

    Harriet Harrison, 26, who is a final year Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles student at Nottingham Trent University, created a collection out of litter found on the Kent coast.

    The young designer says her project named ‘Sense of Place’ is inspired by her home in Margate.

    Harriet, who is studying at the Nottingham School of Art & Design, as part of her collection created a crochet top and a tote bag made from recycled plastic from the beach.

    Another piece is a translucent modular padded garment with pockets filled with litter and found objects from the coast.

    She said: “The coast has been very important to me, it’s like an anchor to my life.

    “And I wanted to create a concept on the issue surrounding man-made waste found on the beach and in the sea.

    “During my walks on the coast, I started collecting litter and discarded materials which I have integrated into my final year work to give the discarded materials a second life or purpose.

    “I coloured the plastic bags and cut them in stripes to mimic yarn and crocheted them together to make the top.

    Outfit made out of litter
    Picture credit: Pushpita Chatterjee

    “I have used predominantly plastics and bottle tops which I've washed, painted and embellished.

    “Throughout my project I want to show the physical and emotional journey one embarks on. My project seeks to convey the solitary emotional journey you embark on whilst travelling through the terrain, conveying both the stillness and the chaos, explored through my use of material experimentation and textiles.”

    Harriet intends to work for a sustainable slow fashion brand after graduating from university.

    Her work featured in Nottingham Trent University's art and design Student Showcase which saw graduating artists and designers displaying their work as part of a public exhibition.

    Other subject areas on show include Fashion Design, Architecture, Decorative Arts Product Design.

    Helen Hill, course leader for Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles at Nottingham Trent University, said: “The design community is increasingly keen on making designs kinder to their planet.

    “Harriet has taken her personal life experience with her hometown in Kent and combined it with sustainability and modern fashion.

    “Her project inculcates both eco-friendly and emotional elements and is a fresh approach to fashion knitwear.”

    • Notes for editors

      Press enquiries please contact Chris Birkle, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2310, or via email.

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queens Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.

      The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.

      NTU was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards). It was the University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).

      NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 33,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 4,000 and an NTU community representing around 160 countries.

      In the past 15 years, NTU has invested £450 million in tools, technology and facilities.

      NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2019 UCAS UG acceptance data) It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

      75% of NTU students go on to graduate-level employment or graduate-entry education / training within fifteen months of graduating (Guardian University Guide 2021).

      NTU is 4th globally (and 3rd in the UK) for sustainability in the 2021 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).

    Published on 8 June 2022
    • Category: Press office; School of Art & Design