'Who knew old workwear could be used so creatively?' Fashion student creates glam dress from recycled uniforms
A workwear provider has debuted a striking dress created as part of a university project which tasked Wolverhampton fashion students with creating a runway-worthy outfit from old work uniforms.
MyWorkwear - a supplier of embroidered and printed workwear - debuted the eye-catching gown at the Shropshire Chamber Business Awards after a collaborative project with the University of Wolverhampton.
The workwear provider, based in Telford, gave final-year fashion students at the university the brief to rework old work uniforms into a showstopping piece to be worn at industry and local events.
After 10 months of collaboration, designing and discussions around sustainability, student Hannah DeHaan was chosen as the winner with a corseted formal dress made from recycled AWDis polo shirts and surplus Portwest cargo trousers.
She said “My experience of designing for MyWorkwear was challenging at first, but once I really got into it, the ideas started flowing and the design process followed naturally. Samples played a big part in my process as I needed to try different looks all over the dress, plus different patterns.”
She said she enjoyed the challenging project adding: “Learning about all the different roles it takes to run MyWorkwear showed me how much you really do need a confident team behind you which is exactly what I had at the University of Wolverhampton.”
The dress debuted at the 25th Shropshire Chamber Awards where Gwynneth Slavin, of the chamber, said “I was absolutely blown away by the dress.
“Who knew that old workwear could be used so creatively to make something so beautiful?
“Everyone who saw it was impressed by the skills and imagination used to bring the dress to life.”
James Worthington, co-owner at MyWorkwear, said “Working with the fashion students at the University of Wolverhampton has been a real highlight for us.
“Their creativity, skill and fresh perspective on using workwear sustainably genuinely impressed us.
“We’re passionate about supporting local talent, so it was a pleasure to give students the chance to take on a live brief.”
MyWorkwear, a long-time supporter of the university and sponsor of its race team, will be showcasing the dress in its offices and at future local and industry events.
