No Work Tomorrow: Winners of the 2023 Ravensbourne University London Denim Project
The winning team from this year’s Ravensbourne University London denim project was a group going under the name No Work Tomorrow (NWT).
This educational initiative asks undergraduate students in three disciplines—Fashion Design, Fashion Promotion and Fashion Buying and Brand Management—to create a denim brand from scratch, with support from denim mills and other industry firms.
The philosophy of the NWT brand was to bridge the gap between past and future design by redefining and re-contextualizing traditional workwear staples.
NWT originally took inspiration from the 19th century American mining era, particularly the Gold Rush in 1849. During those times, workers labored under unbearable conditions that often left them injured or in the worst case led to death. This period in history is often fetishized by modern brands, who take inspiration from the classic fashion silhouettes, yet importantly forget the core purpose of these garments and their history.
Team members Sophia Woodiwiss, Henry Hoppe, Esha Ahmad, Natalya Andrews, Porsha Cain, Alice Bray-Pettifer, Wiktoria Andruchow and Rosie Keene were both innovative and brave in their approach. Brave because, against convention, they went with a non-indigo fabric base, and innovative because of their use of modern digital technologies to design and market their collection.
The group used the OpenAI DALL-E platform to create entirely new garment digital image designs, and their business plan included an online metaverse campaign to create a virtual catwalk in a Grand Theft Auto game supported by virtual advertising.
At the other end of the technology scale, they also formulated their own sustainable wax using coconuts and charcoal as a finish on their garment dyed collection.
Fabric was supplied and sponsored by denim mill Orta Anadolu, complemented by buttons and rivets from YKK, which were lovingly rusted and hammered into place. Buttonholes were cut and sewn by hand.
Upcycled leather patches were leftover scraps from Woolcrest Textiles Ltd, which again were treated in wax and charcoal, creating a completely unique look while promoting the idea of personalization in their manufacturing and a nod towards an ethos of slow fashion.
All competing teams were asked to focus on ESG elements related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
NWT’s aims were to include responsible production within their practices, as well as providing decent work and a decent working environment for those involved in the production of the garments.
UN SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) was one target with a view to substantially reduce waste through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. NWT’s aim was that their brand would contribute to this by promoting the recycling of garments, as well as small batch production—only making a limited amount of each garment. Additionally, NWT plans to make use of waste by using the leftover material for packaging. Leftover fabric waste would also be sold back to the consumer in the form of “patches” to fix their garments as they begin to wear and tear over the years of extended wear.
UN SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) was another major focus of the team. With a passion for providing decent work for those involved in the production of its garments, the aim was to promote safe and secure working environments for all workers by fostering these ideas through brand stories and through transparent production processes. One innovative idea was to develop the idea of single person manufacturing, wherein one individual will make a whole pair of jeans from start to finish, thus promoting handmade artisanal skills and artistry.
Due to the inventive nature of all aspects of the project, the judges had no hesitation in awarding the first place to No Work Tomorrow.
