Why so much glitter? A Look Into The Winning Knit Portfolio
An Interview with the winner of the Knit Portfolio Award 2026: Eva camper from Kingston University.
Eva Camper is a fashion student graduating from Kingston University this year. She specialises in knitwear and womenswear and has previous experience working within the design teams at Chanel and Victoria Beckham.
Her collection is a textile-led exploration of identity, memory, and materiality. Growing up half Russian, she was surrounded by traditions, language, and regular visits to Russia. Her mother’s photo archive served as a key source of inspiration, particularly her New Year’s school photographs taken during Yolka, a Russian Christmas celebration. She also drew inspiration from the Soviet film Morozko (1964), whose festive atmosphere and use of folk costume informed the collection. This research was further supported by studying traditional Eastern European garments within the V&A archive.
To create contrast, she explored Russian gymnastics, inspired by greeting cards from the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. This led to the collection title, For Christmas I Want to Be a Gymnast, combining festive imagery with sporting influences. As a former gymnast, the project became a personal exploration of childhood aspirations and cultural identity.
What unexpected source influenced your final outcome?
“Definitely Christmas! It’s a super random starting point but I love everything that I have taken from it. I feel like I have managed to communicated it a tasteful way throughout my collection. ”
What’s the best piece of creative advice you’ve ever received?
“Just don’t overthink it” I used to really complicate everything surrounding my designs and pattern cutting and I used to question my work whether it is the right thing I’m doing, however I learned over the last year simple is definitely more impactful and to just go full force into the ideas that stick.”
How would you describe your creative voice in three words?
“Dazzling, textured, unexpected”
What kind of impact do you hope your work has beyond aesthetics?
“I hope it makes people think about being creative with unexpected materials and I hope it would inspire people to try something they would never have thought of using textiles.”
Which designer, artist or creative would you most like to show your work to?
“Probably Matthieu Blazy, Jonathan Anderson or Julien Dossena, I think their work at the moment is so current.”
What conversations do you hope your work starts?
“I would like someone to question why so much glitter? However I believe there can never be enough of it!”
What advice would you give to a student currently starting their final collection or portfolio?
“Just go crazy, don’t overthink and sit with all the intense thoughts and ideas - it will all be worth it in the end.”
So what’s next for you after graduating?
“To find myself a junior design role ideally in knitwear or womenswear.”
