The Access Group has launched a competition with Loughborough University, inviting fashion design and technology students to submit designs for a new capsule workwear wardrobe. The winning design will be available for purchase and will be eligible for a cash prize.
The Access Group prides itself on having an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity, offering flexibility in how and where employees work - supporting different working styles and lifestyles.
Aligning with this ethos, the brief asks students to design garments that are cool, comfortable, and, importantly, make staff feel good while wearing them. Students have been asked to ensure that the collection encapsulates the business's ethos, which is translated throughout its offices: a people-first aesthetic that is functional and design-led, instilling a real sense of pride in staff regarding where they work.
A collection that suits hybrid working is an element they have also been asked to consider as Access has a hybrid working policy where its people work from home and in its offices depending on their role and location.
The competition forms part of the student's first-year degree course and they will spend the next 12 months working through three stages of the project: designing the collection, creating one complete workwear outfit, then revealing the design in a runway fashion show early next year.
The first stage of the competition, which closes in May, asks the students to design a collection that includes up to 10 garments of their choice, including up to five complete outfits. In addition to this, the collection must include one workwear t-shirt featuring The Access Group logo. They must showcase their knowledge of the history of workwear, the inspiration behind the designs and technical drawings to support this.
At the end of the project, one winner will be chosen, and their design will be created and made available for purchase at the Access Wear employee store. All proceeds of this will go towards the Access Charity of the Year.
Tete Soto, chief marketing officer at The Access Group, said:
“We’re excited to be launching this competition with the students at Loughborough University. We are a Loughborough business, proud to see the wealth of talent that comes out of the university every year.
“At Access, we recognise that workwear has evolved over the last few years and needs to represent the growing diversity in our workforce and new styles of working—whether that’s from the office or from home. It’s important to us that workwear offers an option suitable for everyone and we can’t wait to see how the designs from these incredibly talented students fit the brief.”
Jenny Prendergast Fhea, programme leader for fashion design and technology at Loughborough University, added:
“The opportunity to collaborate on a creative project with a local business like The Access Group is fantastic for our students and integral to their learning and development on the course. It also gives them the opportunity to experience what working with a large corporation could be like and develop their employability skills.
“The brief will allow the students to bring their own unique style to the designs while ensuring that the collections are suitable for all working styles. We are looking forward to seeing the creations our students come up with and would like to extend our thanks to The Access Group for choosing to work with us on this project.”
The competition brief will also be rolled out with fashion design students in Access’ other key markets including Romania, Australia and Malaysia.
For more information about The Access Group, visit https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/.
About The Access Group
The Access Group is one of the largest UK-headquartered providers of business management software to small and mid-sized organisations in the UK, Ireland, USA and Asia Pacific. It helps more than 100,000 customers across commercial and non-profit sectors become more productive and efficient. Its innovative cloud solutions transform how business software is used, giving every employee the freedom to do more of what’s important to them. Founded in 1991, The Access Group employs approximately 6,800 people. www.theaccessgroup.com