Discover the Bridalwear Collection That Won Zalando’s Circularity Masterclass Competition
An Interview with the winner of the The Zalando x GFF Circularity Masterclass Competition 2026: Naomi Robinson from University of Lancashire
Naomi’s background is in textiles, so much of her work begins with sampling textures and color combinations. She focuses on developing these small-scale elements first, before stepping back to visualize the complete look.
What unexpected source influenced your final outcome?
“My circularity submission looks at upcycling bridalwear, which was largely inspired by my Mum’s wedding dress. She bought it second hand and afterwards cut parts of it up to use for sewing projects. This led me to consider the end of life of bridal garments outside of the traditional single wear, followed by storage. That’s why I created a collection which is designed to be worn again and again by different brides (using adjustable pattern cutting to make fittings easier) and when they wear out, they can be upcycled into new garments or shredded and rewoven into new textiles.”
What’s the best piece of creative advice you’ve ever received?
“My secondary school textiles teacher told me to not just think outside the box, but to think like there is no box, I took that advice and ran with it!”
How would you describe your creative voice in three words?
“Detailed, Unusual and Meaningful”
What kind of impact do you hope your work has beyond aesthetics?
“I hope that it shows how unsustainable the bridal subsection of the fashion industry is, when we think of sustainability issues, we all think about fast fashion. A wedding dress, however, sometimes involves tens of metres of fabric and hundreds of hours of work, only to be worn once and then put into storage where it risks being eventually thrown away due to damage or changing trends. ”
Which designer, artist or creative would you most like to show your work to?
“Erik Charlotte! Her beautiful (and often quite daring) silhouettes had a massive influence of my graduate collection.”
What advice would you give to a student currently starting their final collection or portfolio?
“Say yes to everything you can! You never know where a connection or opportunity might take you, and even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly it’s a chance to learn from the experience and broaden your horizons. Sometimes you need to find out what you don’t want in order to discover what you do!”
What conversations do you hope your work starts?
“To turn our sustainable lens on all levels of the fashion industry, from luxury to high street, to fast fashion.”
So what’s next for you after graduating?
“I’m in my first week of a graduate scheme in a wool manufacturing company, learning all about sustainable farming and textile processing, which has been amazing so far! I’m still designing in my free time, thinking about how I could develop elements of my final year of university into my own brand.”
View Naomi’s website here.
