The sustainable development-focused Cavendish Living Lab (CLL) student innovators recently collaborated with Fashion Business Management BA Honours students to produce innovative materials and fashion designs from food waste. The creations are displayed at a zero-waste exhibition on Harrow Campus until 17 March.
Over the last few months, CLL student innovators Nour Said, Naqib Naser, Lou-Ann Quentin and Elspeth Prowse experimented in the lab to create a variety of biomaterials. Some were made from food waste collected from local businesses in Fitzrovia such as eggshells, orange peels and coffee waste. Other materials were lab-grown such as bacterial cellulose while others are algae-based materials. The students regularly met up with the Fashion Business Management students to brainstorm what they had hoped to attain from this collaboration. The Fashion Business Management students picked the colours based on 2025 fashion trends and the innovators provided them with materials to drape with and create the abstract garments.
The students also displayed samples of all the different materials they created. Amongst the most interesting aspects for the innovators was using digital fabrication techniques like the robotic arm available at the Fabrication Lab at Marylebone Campus to create bioyarn.
Naqib Naser said: “This project has shown that when designers and material innovators come together, we can push the boundaries of sustainable fashion. It’s not just about making garments - it’s about changing the way we think about materials and waste.”
Nour Said added: “I truly enjoyed the opportunity to push our creativity, experiment with different techniques, and put our digital fabrication skills into practice. It was interesting to see the Fashion Business Management students crochet and create designs from the materials we provided them.”
This exhibition directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about the Cavendish Living Lab at Westminster.
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