Skip to content

University of Gloucestershire Student shortlisted for RSA Student Design Awards

Product Design student Sylvia Hiam has been shortlisted for the RSA Student Design Awards in the ‘Make Fashion Circular’ category. The project brief challenged students to take an everyday clothing item and reimagine it to consider ‘circular design’ principles, which focus on aspects of use and reuse, and sustainability. ​

Sylvia knew she wanted to design a sustainable product and took the challenge to heart in the creation of the ‘Sustaina Trainer’, which is made from compostable or recyclable materials. The main sustainable aspect is that the soles of the Sustaina Trainer can be repaired, adding life and longevity. It is estimated to last up to three times longer than the average everyday shoe.​

Sylvia said:
“I wanted to design a sustainable product because I feel very strongly about environmental issues. I practice a zero-waste lifestyle and am always conscious of what I buy and what it’s made from. I actually wrote my dissertation about society and plastic waste. I used a lot of the research I gathered to help in my other projects, including this one. I couldn’t imagine not making a sustainable product, it’s really important that in product design we start to consider sustainability as a much more important factor when it comes to designing new products.” ​