Radka receives national acclaim after her plastic bottle fashion collection hits the London catwalk

A University of Northampton student has gained national recognition for her fashion collection that’s made entirely from plastic bottles.

Textiles for Fashion third year, Radka Blazickova, used bottle tops, labels and even shredded bottles to create her plastic waste-inspired collection, which includes full-length coats, a jacket, a gilet, a waistcoat and a couple of bags.

Radka’s collection made its catwalk debut at Graduate Fashion Week – the annual showcase of UK university fashion talent – and it went down a storm with the audience and judges alike.

The judging panel selected it as one of Graduate Fashion Week’s top 25 collections, while the Telegraph named it one of the stand-out collections from the event.

Radka is now in the running for Graduate Fashion Week’s People’s Choice Award – you can vote for her on the website.

Radka’s collection at Graduate Fashion Week

Radka, right, with a model sporting one of her outfits

“I couldn’t believe the reaction to my collection, I never thought this would happen to me,” said Radka, who is originally from Prague.

“I see my work every day and I tended to overthink it and almost convinced myself it wasn’t as good as I first thought it was. So to have other people telling me how much they like it is amazing, and then to see my work featured in the Telegraph is unbelievable – I’m just enjoying the moment.”

Radka hopes her collection will help to raise awareness of plastic waste and waste in general.

She said: “As everybody knows, it’s a big issue and it’s one that is also a problem the fashion industry needs to address. Too many high street brands have been selling cheap clothing, that consumers see as disposable. This idea of something being made to be thrown away after a few times of being worn then got me thinking about the things people put in the bin every day.

“So many people use a plastic bottle just once before throwing it away and I wanted to show that every single part can have a second use, by making something creative from a ‘waste product’.”

While Radka was backstage for the catwalk show, when her collection was called back for the Graduate Fashion Week gala show, she was able to watch it from the audience.

She said: “I was so nervous and it was weird to see my name on the big screen as the models came out. It almost didn’t feel real, it was a brilliant experience.”

The 22-year-old is set to graduate in July and is now pursuing internship opportunities and considering embarking on a Master’s in fashion.

Radka was one of 12 Fashion students from the University of Northampton who had their work selected for the catwalk show at Graduate Fashion Week, which was held at the The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, between Sunday 2 and Wednesday 5 June.

Radka’s collection on the Graduate Fashion Week catwalk

Radka’s collection on the Graduate Fashion Week catwalk

Radka’s collection on the Graduate Fashion Week catwalk

Radka’s collection on the Graduate Fashion Week catwalk

Radka’s collection on the Graduate Fashion Week catwalk