University News Last updated 31 March
BCU is the most sustainable university in Birmingham and the 12th most sustainable in the UK. Discover how Birmingham City University alumni are driving sustainability through fashion, design, and community projects, celebrating Earth Day with innovative, eco-conscious ideas.
Emily Brookes
Emily graduated in 2025 with a BA (Hons) in Textile Design and has seen great success since.
Last summer, she joined BCU’s Hatchery Programme, where she won first prize for pitching her upcycling fashion brand, This Ain’t My First Rodeo.
“When I first started the business, I mainly wanted to make and sell my own designs - which I still do through the brand,” Emily said. “But I'm now more focused on passing on my upcycling knowledge to others and am starting to host creative workshops.”
She was also a contestant in Amazon Prime’s six-part series, RE/style. Funded by Vinted, each challenge draws on themes of adventure, nostalgia, and reinvention, with the final pieces sold on Oxfam’s Vinted page to raise money for charity.
“I have practiced sustainable design for a long time, but at the start without knowing that's what I was really doing. I would buy second-hand clothes or fabrics or would design using clothes I already had as a starting point, mainly because it was the most affordable. So, I guess I have been using sustainable design practices for a while.
“I became particularly interested in conscious fashion during my degree, when I studied a zero-waste pattern cutting module. I think this made me realise that sustainable fashion can look good and be good, so I began using it more and more in my work.
“Now I don't really think about anything else when I'm designing. It's become second nature to use second-hand materials and to include upcycling in my designs. Whether I'm reimagining clothing or household textiles, I like finding the newness in the old. I often use bedding, quilts or curtains as there's some fabulous prints and textures that you wouldn't always find brand new. And especially not for the second-hand price!”
Elle Macmillan
Elle always wanted to study fashion and graduated from our BA (Hons) Textile Design course in 2025. She is a multidisciplinary textile artist specialising in weaving, experimenting with biomaterials, from eggshell threads to bio-yarns spun from seaweed.
“Textile Design allowed me to explore materials, processes, and lifecycles in depth, giving me a better understanding of how sustainable making begins at the foundations,” Elle said.
“[Specialising] in weaving gave me a real appreciation for how fabrics are constructed. It also taught me the value of hand craftsmanship, product care, and considering an item’s end of life. The materials you choose truly shape a product’s impact.”
Elle’s biomaterials journey began at a STEAMhouse materials club, where experimenting with eggshell fibres and natural dyes sparked her interest in sustainable materials. Drawn to blue-green tones, she became fascinated by spirulina and seaweed extracts, exploring their design potential and environmental benefits, including CO₂ absorption and natural flexibility.
Sustainability has always guided Elle’s practice, shaping her decisions from concept to outcome: “I found it difficult to create anything without thinking about its purpose and impact – which can be challenging in a design environment that is constantly focused on exploration and creating more.”
Elle is now an Artist in Residence at BCU, a programme that allows alumni to continue using workshops after graduation in exchange for supporting staff, teaching students, and contributing to exhibitions.
She hopes to strengthen community engagement and expand sustainable practices across the West Midlands: “Embedding sustainability in education is hugely important, but so is creating accessible community spaces where anyone can develop these skills,” she said.
Elle also founded BIO ZINES to connect with others interested in biomaterials, reaching readers in seven countries. There are currently three zines, each taking up to four months to produce. Elle is a Green Grad, and the series received the Green Grads Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair Award in 2024.
“Each issue features a step-by-step biomaterial recipe, explores shared sustainable themes across the design field, and includes interviews with leading makers and artists,” Elle explains. “I decided to produce physical copies over digital as biomaterials is a physical and hands-on craft.”
Tia Parmar
Tia, a 2021 BA (Hons) Textile Design graduate, is a workshop artist and co-founder of Makers Circle, an arts collective delivering textile and art workshops in community spaces. Her decision to study at BCU was simple: “As a born and bred Brummie, there was nowhere better than home to study.”
“Studying at BCU was brilliant; I made amazing friends and had access to incredible facilities with live industry-led experiences throughout the course,” she said. “The course offered a varied mix of learning from technical workshops through to informative lectures, equipping me with the skills needed to secure roles within the textiles industry.” After graduating, Tia worked as a Textile Technician and is now a Textile Design Tutor at BCU, alongside co-founding Makers Circle.
The collective focuses on strengthening community connections and supporting mental well-being by bringing people together to share skills and explore creativity.
Tia credits the Textile Design course with teaching her about sustainability in design: “I had a general awareness of unsustainable practices within the fashion and textiles industry. However, I didn’t fully understand the complexities until I reached university. As a result of this learning, I began to implement more sustainable and conscious design choices within my practice.”
Tia creates textured textile pieces using print, embroidery, and mixed media, inspired by nature. Her work explores the connection between the natural world, community, and well-being, while promoting textile practices through shared creative experiences. Through visual storytelling, she designs, makes, and teaches her work.
“As both an artist and educator, I believe in the transformative power of nurturing creativity within community by celebrating individuals' creations and skills whether through workshops or creative projects,” Tia added. “I am committed to honouring the stories and talents of everyone involved, ensuring that each person's creativity is valued and celebrated, while supporting both my own growth and that of others.”
In the future, Tia wants to help contribute to Birmingham’s creativity: “My ambition is to run large-scale community projects that connect students with grassroots businesses and schools, helping to position Birmingham as a central hub for creativity.”
Amy Newton
Amy, who graduated in 2025 with a BA (Hons) Textile Design, came to BCU as a mature student. She chose not to go to university straight after college, instead gaining work experience and completing a Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship at a small accounting firm before applying later.
Although she had always been creative, it wasn’t until lockdown, after spending more time drawing and embroidering, that she realised she wanted to work in a creative field. After discovering that most design jobs required a degree and portfolio, she decided to pursue university later in life.
“I’m glad I waited those years to go to university,” Amy reflects. “It allowed me to pursue a course in something that I'm actually interested in and something that I would like to work in!”
Her business, Ames Newton Designs, grew out of her final major project, which focused on educating both children and adults about giant anteaters, including their habits, personalities, and threats. She creates educational products such as picture books, wooden toys, clothing, and art pieces, with books and toys currently available while she researches sustainable clothing production.
“My work is all about educating and bringing awareness to biodiversity loss, with the use of sustainable practices and materials. I have always had a connection to animals, and it was during university that I realised that they really are my main source of design inspiration.
“During my dissertation, and other research I've conducted throughout the years, I have become more passionate about educating the younger and current generation about what our actions are doing to our animals and planet. I have also been encouraged to use natural fabrics, naturally dyed fabrics and clean processes to create my work.”
Amy was selected as a Green Grad in 2025, a UK initiative launched in 2021 that champions recent graduates addressing urgent environmental challenges through design, engineering, and art.
Amy aims to establish her brand as a platform for educational, nature-inspired work, creating animal-themed collections that spark children’s interest in biodiversity and encourage positive change.
Alice Morton
Textile designer Alice discovered her passion for spinning and weaving during her studies at BCU, where she graduated with a BA (Hons) in Textile Design in 2025.
“BCU allows you the freedom to experience all specialisms of textiles before you decide your chosen field. Initially I thought I wanted to specialise in embroidery, however after getting the opportunity to work in weave I realised this was the area I wanted to focus on.
“The course gave me the flexibility to experiment in this area and with the help and support from my tutors, access to equipment and materials, I was able to become more confident in my skills and abilities.”
This growing interest in materials and technique later influenced her academic research. During a visit to Scotland, she discovered the inspiration for her dissertation, “How has the introduction of modern tartans impacted Scottish tradition?” This research led to her final project, Woven Roots, celebrating cultural heritage, identity, and traditional craft. Inspired by Alice’s Scottish heritage and the Douglas clan tartan, the collection blends personal history with experimental design, creating pieces that bridge tradition and innovation.
Alice creates yarns primarily from wool and other natural fibres, including silk and plant-based materials. She weaves colourful, richly textured designs for blankets, cushions, and other home furnishings: “Each piece is completely unique and comes out different every time, which can be very thrilling and fulfilling. I deeply enjoy the making process and seeing my colours come to life.”
Alice has been passionate about nature and environmental sustainability from a young age, and this has shaped her textile practice, leading her to work primarily with natural materials and continually explore more sustainable methods.
Through her work, she aims to connect with like-minded individuals and businesses, with the long-term goal of building a sustainable and successful textile practice.
Molly Ratcliffe
Molly Ratcliffe, who graduated with a degree in Interior Architecture and Design in 2022, won the Female Founders Pitching Competition in 2024 with her business, WasteProjekt.
Held in December, the competition concluded a four-week programme supporting 40 women entrepreneurs in Birmingham. Organised by the city’s universities and local sponsors, five finalists pitched for a £5,000 fund, with Molly taking the top prize of £3,500. Molly used the prize money to prepare for the launch of her products at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2025, which showcased WasteProjekt to a national audience.
WasteProjekt is a sustainability-driven start-up dedicated to transforming the gardening industry by developing an eco-friendly, biodegradable plant pot from food waste. The business tackles both plastic and food waste by offering a solution that enables gardeners to lower their environmental impact while promoting a circular economy.
Speaking on Sustainability Day last year, Molly said WasteProjekt “supports more sustainable everyday choices.”