University News Last updated 13 November
Emily Brookes, who graduated from BCU with a BA (Hons) Fashion Design in 2025, is a contestant in Amazon Prime’s six-part series, RE/style.
Funded by Vinted, the series spotlights eight emerging designers from Italy, Spain, France, and the UK as they create capsule collections from second-hand items. Each six-hour challenge draws on themes of adventure, nostalgia, and reinvention. The final items were sold on Oxfam’s Vinted page to raise money for the charity.
Hosted by Emma Willis, the show is judged by Melissa Holdbrook-Akposoe and Zadrian Smith, with celebrity guests including Henry Holland, Stacey Dooley, Clara Amfo, Laura Whitmore, Vogue Williams, and Oliver Cheshire. The finale welcomes model and activist Eunice Olumide and Jessie de la Merced from Vinted as special guest judges.
This isn’t Emily’s first-time upcycling for a competition. Over the summer, she joined BCU’s Hatchery Program, where she learned about entrepreneurship and self-employment. After pitching her idea, she won first prize for her upcycling fashion brand, “This Ain’t My First Rodeo,” which transforms textile waste into innovative designs and promotes sustainability through workshops.
Since graduating BCU, Emily has continued to build her career in fashion. She recently exhibited her brand for the first time at The Good Clothes Show in Manchester. Her graduate collection was also showcased at London Fashion Week (LFW) alongside fellow BCU graduates - an experience she describes as a huge honour.
She’s even been featured in a “best looks of LFW” list alongside one of her favourite designers, Simone Rocha, which she describes as a ‘dream come true’.
Emily wasn’t always certain about going to university. Throughout school and sixth form, she balanced both academic and creative subjects but felt unsure when it came time to apply for university in Year 12.
Choosing to take an Art and Design Foundation Diploma in her hometown of York gave her the space to explore different creative fields, ultimately confirming her passion for fashion design.
Emily had applied to BCU the previous year and decided to reapply after realising it was the right place for her. Emily had to overcome personal doubts about whether she was making the right choice, questioning her course direction, job prospects, and living away from home, but it was worth it for the experience she had at BCU.
“I enjoyed pretty much every second of my course at BCU,” Emily said.
“Fashion design is certainly not for the weak, and there were often stressful times throughout my three years at BCU. But especially now I have graduated, I can honestly say I really miss it! And I would do it all over again if I could.”
When asked what she loved about studying at BCU, Emily puts it down to the working environment in the Parkside Building.
“I could bring my ideas to life with everything I needed around me and all while being surrounded by creativity. I also experienced some amazing opportunities too, like attending New York Fashion Week (NYFW) at the end of my first year, winning the Superdry X BCU Outerwear Competition in my second year, and attending London Fashion Week at the very end of my final year.”
Emily heard about RE/style through one of her tutors. “I applied on a bit of a whim,” she said. "I was excited about being on TV, but I also didn't think I would get picked when I first applied.”
Emily was soon contacted by Lion TV, who interviewed her and supported her through the application process until she was finally approved by Amazon to appear on the show. Although she initially felt nervous as filming approached, she quickly grew to love the experience, and meeting host Emma Willis and the celebrity guests was an exciting highlight.
“It was super interesting to see how shows are filmed and pieced together. But the best thing to come out of the show for me is my relationship with my fellow designers.
“When I first applied, I never imagined I would meet such amazing, inspirational and brilliant people, and now I have friends for life. We're thinking of planning a meet up soon - which can't come soon enough - and it will be nice to get the gang back together.”
As for what’s in store for her future, Emily is eager to grow her business while continuing to design and create. She hopes to one day have her own studio where she can host sewing and upcycling workshops, sharing her skills and promoting a more creative and sustainable future for fashion. She also plans to attend New York Fashion Week again in 2027, hoping to debut some new designs there.
Emily’s advice for anyone considering studying Fashion Design at BCU is to go for it: “I have experienced opportunity after opportunity through studying at BCU. A lot of them came my way through my own hard work too, but I wouldn't have achieved what I have without the university.
“When I look back at what I have achieved over the past three years, my past self wouldn't believe it! So, give yourself the chance to thrive in the fashion industry and let BCU help you to get there.”
All six episodes are available to stream now on Amazon Prime