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Fashion District Open

The Fashion District Open is a competition for final year MA students at London College of Fashion who will be producing a collection for their final project. By demonstrating their circular and innovative design capabilities within the collection, exploring new possibilities for the future of sustainable fashion, students will have the chance to be selected as one of twelve winners. The winners will receive the opportunity to showcase three looks from their final collection to an audience of 400+ industry professionals at the annual Fashion District Showcase on 1st June, alongside other prizes including mentoring and professional photographs of their runway looks.

We’re looking for students who show exceptional circular design thinking and utilise the principles of circularity within their work to challenge the traditional model of fashion design and production.

Fashion District Showcase 2026

Key principles of circular design that could be explored are:

  • Design for resource efficiency
    • Zero waste, utilising recycled materials or pre / post-consumer unsellable textiles
  • Design for regeneration
    • Design solutions that return nutrients to natural systems and help regenerate the natural world, or sourcing materials that help regenerate nature (e.g. regenerative cotton)
  • Design for longevity
    • Durability, adaptability and modularity
  • Design for material cyclability
    • Disassembly, biodegradability, mono-material design, modularity

As the main prize is the opportunity to present three looks as part of a catwalk showcase, we are also particularly looking for designers who are creating showcase pieces.

Application Guidelines

Resources

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Timeline

14 DEC 2026

Applications open

18 JAN 2027

Applications close at 10AM

1 MARCH 2027

Winners are announced

11 MAY 2027

Model fittings and Preview Reception

1 JUNE 2027

VIP Industry Reception and Showcase supported by Spitalfields E1 and SXSW London.

Criteria, Eligibility & Terms and Conditions

JUDGING CRITERIA:

Each applicant will be judged against 3 criterion:

Creativity and Originality 
Do your designs demonstrate creative flair?
Are they original in their concept and aesthetic?

Evidence of Circular Design and Innovative Thinking
Do your designs employ the principles of circularity and consider the whole life cycle of the garment(s)?
Is there evidence of innovative thinking in your approach?

Market Potential
Is your target market clear?
Are your designs reproducible for a commercial market?

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible to apply, you must be a final year student enrolled on one of the following MA courses at London College of Fashion:

MA Fashion Design Technology (Menswear)

MA Fashion Design Technology (Womenswear)

MA Fashion Futures

MA Costume Design for Performance

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

Click here to read the terms and conditions for the Fashion District Open 2027. This competition is being promoted by Fashion District, University of the Arts London, 272 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EY.