Winning design of Loughborough University student to be made for Access Group employees

Hollie Yeomans, a second-year BA Fashion Design and Technology student, has won a competition at Loughborough University that will see her design brought to life for over 8,000 employees at The Access Group.

Yeomans was named the winner of the design competition–initially launched last year–at a runway event in The Access Group’s headquarters, and will now see a t-shirt from her collection produced for the software company’s employees to then purchase. Proceeds from the sales will go to Young Lives vs Cancer, The Access Group’s chosen charity.

Yeomans was among a number of students tasked with creating a capsule work wardrobe for employees, with the university noting that the competition’s mission was to provide participants with experience of working with a large corporation. Her winning design featured a red wool blazer, statement hoodie and wide-leg tailored trousers, each praised for their use of colour and wearability.

On her designs, Yeomans said in a release: “I wanted the design to reflect the diverse workplace at The Access Group. Not only did I want the outfit to be unisex, but I also wanted to ensure that everybody would feel great wearing it. Some pieces are oversized, some are fully covering the body and some are adjustable, meaning the whole collection is versatile and can be worn for all work settings, whether that’s in the office, at home, or at meetings with clients.”

When asked about her win, Yeomans noted that for a young designer, “opportunities like this don’t come around often”. She continued: “The whole process, from sketching my initial ideas and designing the garments to finalising the lineup and sending my collection out on the runway, was an experience I’ll never forget. It’s taught me how to work alongside a company and towards a live brief, which will help me incredibly with the rest of my degree and future career.”