SERC and Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Launch Re-Fashioned Exhibition

The exhibition is being held to mark European Week for Waste Reduction and features 75 upcycled clothing items and clothing accessories that will be on display until 26 November 2022. 

The Enterprise and Art teams at SERC challenged students to take an item of clothing that they no longer wear, or one from a charity shop, and mend or transform it into a new piece of clothing or a clothing accessory. The challenge aimed to raise awareness of the impact of fast fashion on the environment and to promote sustainable approaches to our wardrobes and staying on trend! 

The students were also given the opportunity to attend seven sustainable fashion workshops, providing them with information and skills to mend, transform and upcycle the clothes they no longer can or want to wear. The student creators are from a diverse range of SERC courses, including Applied Science, Counselling, Foundation Learning, Skills for Life and Work, and Art and Design. This exhibition is the culmination of their exciting efforts, which include tailoring, tie-dye, fabric painting, crochet, Sashiko and more. 

Natasha Lloyd, Senior Innovation Advisor from the SERC Enterprise team, comments, “When the Council approached us with the idea of running a sustainable fashion competition for our students, we accepted enthusiastically - this is exactly the kind of real-life projects we like to offer our students. However, we didn't quite envisage the incredible response we would get from the student body, whose enthusiasm, talent and ingenuity have blown us away. The range and quality of the creations on display in the exhibition demonstrates the effort and creativity that students have poured into this competition. We are incredibly proud of them and strongly encourage them to continue developing their skills and applying their talents to this worthy pursuit.” 

Exhibition Prize Winners:

Clothing Category 

• 1st Place - Macy Buick (SERC Level 3 Technical Diploma in Art and Design student) 
• 2nd Place - Shannon Magee (SERC Level 3 Technical Diploma in Art and Design student) 
• 3rd Place - Ellie Kirkland (SERC Level 3 Technical Diploma in Art and Design student) 
• 4th Place - Ellen Hanratty (SERC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design and Media Practice) & Callum Crawford (SERC Foundation Learning student) 

Clothing Accessories Category 

• 1st Place – Wren Clugston (SERC Pearson BTEC HNC in Applied Sciences student)
• 2nd Place - Kirstyn Reilly (SERC Level 3 Technical Diploma in Art and Design student) 
• 3rd Place - Grace Connolly (SERC Level 3 Technical Diploma in Art and Design student) 

Chair of the LCCC Environmental Services Committee, Councillor Martin Gregg said: “I am amazed by the quality of the competition entries on display at the Island Arts Centre. They are sure to inspire visitors to think about rescuing, repairing and reimagining their own clothing."   

SERC would like to thank Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council for initiating and facilitating this project, and Cookstown Textile Recyclers for providing a generous range of prizes for our participants. Thanks also to Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful for their involvement and to our workshop providers, Titanic Denim, Sew Ready, & SERC Art & Design lecturer Keri-Ann Ross. 

If you would like to find out more about sustainable fashion, check out the Fashion Forever project by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. 

Visit www.serc.ac.uk to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.