From plastic waste to high quality fashion, Heather to make her catwalk debut at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week

The concern of plastic waste and the recent introduction of the carrier bag charge led to 22-year-old University of Northampton student Heather Jenkinson using an environmental theme to create her footwear collection for this year’s Graduate Fashion Week.

The budding designer from Whitby in North Yorkshire decided to research the reasons behind the bag charge and how plastic waste affects the environment and wildlife, particularly in the ocean, to see how she could use this in her work.

Heather, who is studying on the BA (Hons) Footwear and Accessories programme, has been working closely with renowned Northampton shoe manufacturer, Church & Co for her footwear designs and luxury leather supplier, Tusting on her bag collection.

She said: “I decided to use mixed materials in my designs but I have mainly worked with leather and it’s durable, easy to work with and is a by-product so it fits my theme perfectly. I have enjoyed working with Church & Co and it’s been amazing to see first-hand how a high quality shoe is made from start to finish. The experience at Tusting has helped me get a better understanding of the manufacturing process of making bags on a larger scale.”

Graduate Fashion Week takes place from Sunday 5 to Wednesday 8 June at the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch and has been firmly established as the world’s leading event for fashion graduates. The University of Northampton’s catwalk show takes place on Monday 6 June and is in partnership with holistic cosmetic company, Weleda.