Dezeen School Shows: an activewear collection consisting of modular garments to adapt to movement and different body types is among projects from the University of Portsmouth.

Also featured is a project exploring the cultural influence of cassette tapes, and another representing cultural identities through portraiture.

University of Portsmouth

Institution: University of Portsmouth
School: School of Architecture, Art and Design
Courses: BA (Hons) Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Graphic Design, BA (Hons) Photography and BA (Hons) Illustration
Tutors: Lynne Mesher, Julian Roberts, Lara Torres, Sandra Zellmer, Mike Harkins, Darren Page, Nicola Hay, Ceri Amphlett, Lee Shearman, Roel Paredaens, Dana Ariel, Ziggy Kolker, Vera Hadzhiyska, Alejandra Carles-Torla and Benjamin Jones

School statement:

"In the realm of art and design, we believe in fostering thoughtful and challenging works that reflect and inspire a creative society.

"Utilising both new and traditional mediums, we encourage students, researchers, and staff to explore and experiment within a supportive community, helping them identify their strengths.

"Bring your creative ideas to life on our BA (Hons) Fashion Design course, combining fashion, textiles, digital innovation, Clo3D, sustainability and industry-level facilities to develop your confident creative practice.

"Our BA (Hons) Graphic Design course centres around helping students establish an independent sense of self within their own practice, recognising the potential of design as a force for good.

"Our BA (Hons) Illustration blends traditional and digital practices, studio workshops and industry briefs to help develop your individual style, contextual awareness and professional experience as an adaptable, socially engaged illustrator."

Conscious Framework by Aimee Hurst

"Conscious Framework explores the relationship between architecture, repetition and sustainable design, translating structural forms into wearable garments.

"Inspired by the dialogue between historic and modern architecture, the collection uses repeated geometric motifs and sculptural silhouettes to frame the body, creating continuity, balance and structure.

"A restrained colour palette emphasises shadow, form and construction.

"Sustainability is integral to the work, with material efficiency, modular pattern cutting and longevity informing every design.

"Each garment is made entirely from natural materials, including cotton fabric, cotton wadding and biodegradable bioplastic sequins, proposing fashion as enduring, adaptable frameworks built to last."

Student: Aimee Hurst
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Tutors: Julian Roberts and Lara Torres

The Crane: Deconstructed by Jesicca Harding

"The Crane: Deconstructed explores the intersection of origami, collage and deconstruction, translating folded paper forms and reconstructed footwear into sculptural garments.

"The capsule collection of coordinated tops and skirts combines bold geometric silhouettes with fluid movement, balancing rigid structure and soft drape.

"Crafted from donated silk, pleather and acetate satin in a palette of cream, gold, brown and amethyst, the garments feature pearlescent prints inspired by origami folds and shoe construction.

"Careful panel placement follows natural light and shadow, allowing geometric forms to contour the body while celebrating sustainable materials, craftsmanship and experimental design."

Student: Jesicca Harding
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Tutors: Julian Roberts and Lara Torres

The Art of Cartomancy by Chloe Kenvin

"This response to the iSTD brief 'power' started by exploring the history and symbolism of cartomancy.

"The project focused on how ordinary playing cards can be used as tools for fortune telling and personal reflection, highlighting the power of symbolism, interpretation and belief.

"Chloe designed and produced both an editorial book and a custom card deck that guided users through cartomatic readings using standard playing cards.

"The project combined research, typography and visual storytelling, allowing her to develop a cohesive physical outcome that balanced instructional design with a strong conceptual narrative."

Student: Chloe Kenvin
Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Tutors: Sandra Zellmer and Mike Harkins

A Manifesto for Change in Ten Tapes by Joel Allen

"Joel chose to base his major project around cassette tapes, exploring their influence on society, technology, music and politics.

"The project is presented through a collection of 10 cassette tapes, each paired with a five-panel foldout J-card communicating a specific aspect of tape culture.

"Each cassette also includes a ten minute audio tape featuring interview clips, music and narrative fragments that expand on the subject matter.

"Alongside this, he created an animation that explores the process and craft of creating a mixtape, highlighting the time, effort, love and creativity that went into making a mixtape for someone."

Student: Joel Allen
Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Tutor: Darren Page

Honiton Lace by Izzy Elliott

"Izzy's response to the iSTD brief 'Trade Matters' aimed to bring light to the almost extinct craft of English bobbin lace making, specifically Honiton Lace.

"Bobbin lace making is on the Heritage Crafts endangered list and has not been commercially produced for almost a century.

"The process of making bobbin lace is so intricate and takes a significant amount of time to produce.

"This project highlights the importance of this craft in both history and society.

"The book and information is divided into five chapters: history, technique, royalty, community and decline, discussing the craft from beginning to end."

Student: Izzy Elliott
Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Tutors: Sandra Zellmer and Mike Harkins

Reflections of a City Pond by Helena Woolley

"Reflections of a City Pond is an artists' book with an accompanying series of paper engineered works which reflect the observations and happenings at Baffins Pond, Portsmouth.

"Overlaying and blending past experiences, senses and lost names with the modern reality of the site situated at the heart of Portsea Island, the observer is led between the past and present narratives as if they were taking a walk through the location.

"Stored within an A3 archival box, curated memories and local stories are overlayed to create fragments of lived experience."

Student: Helena Woolley
Course: BA (Hons) Illustration
Tutor: Nicola Hay

Summiting by El Roberts

"Summiting is a zomic (zombie comic) that focuses on themes of being othered and the horrors of nature.

"Additionally, Summiting challenges the long history of female misrepresentation in horror, focusing on a well-rounded female character and her experiences during a zombie apocalypse.

"The comic, which features two short stories, combines a passion for zombie movies with feminist themes and thus sits within a growing tradition of female-led horror.

"Composed as a zine, Summiting also speaks to the growing interest in zines and small, independent press."

Student: El Roberts
Course: BA (Hons) Illustration
Tutor: Nicola Hay

Finding Folklore: Isle of Wight Edition by Susie Barnard

"Finding Folklore: Isle of Wight Edition is a collection of lino prints, ceramics and collage pieces exploring the local folklore of the Isle of Wight.

"It looks to explore legends of ancient and modern origin, giving a new insight into how folklore continues to develop in the modern day as people seek to reconnect to nature and their heritage.

"From the ancient monolith of Mottistone Longstone to the much more modern story of Brighstone's Dragon tree, the project creates roots to local landscapes and explores the stories within them."

Student: Susie Barnard
Course: BA (Hons) Illustration
Tutor: Lee Shearman

The Trace Left Behind by Irma Kacinskaite

"The Trace Left Behind reflects an instinctive desire to reach back towards what is fragmented and slipping away.

"Ruins speak of absence and survival at once. They are fragments that invite us to imagine what stood before.

"The work brings together two gestures of connection. The photograph engages the eye, positioning vision as a searching tool.

"Light does not provide clarity but seeks instead. The ruins become subjects that must be looked at carefully to understand what traces of history they carry.

"The wire sculpture engages the hand. Its lines are loose, like a memory's sketch rather than a faithful reconstruction."

Student: Irma Kacinskaite
Course: BA (Hons) Photography
Tutors: Roel Paredaens, Dana Ariel, Ziggy Kolker, Vera Hadzhiyska, Alejandra Carles-Torla and Benjamin Jones

Kin and Skin by Lydia Leech

"Kin and Skin is a documentary photography project that positions culture as a form of self-expression of cultural identity.

"It examines how visual representation can safeguard traditions that may otherwise be lost or marginalised over time.

"It explores heritage through traditional dress and garments that embodies historical narratives and social values.

"Inspired by my own heritage, Kin and Skin celebrates the richness and diversity of cultural traditions while acknowledging the importance of preservation in a contemporary context.

"Through intimate portraiture and candid moments, the project creates a space for an individual's culture to be celebrated."

Student: Lydia Leech
Course: BA (Hons) Photography
Tutors: Roel Paredaens, Dana Ariel, Ziggy Kolker, Vera Hadzhiyska, Alejandra Carles-Torla and Benjamin Jones

Frames of Absence by Lauren Rufford

"My project looks at how memory fades, breaks apart, and gets rebuilt through imagination. Instead of trying to recreate the past exactly, I work with fragments and layers to show how unstable and shifting our memories can be.

"The images feel both familiar and uneasy, using grainy textures, deep blues, and birds that watch quietly from the edges.

"The female figure appears as a kind of stand‑in for the body, close but never fully present, while shadows and projections distort her form.

"Everything sits somewhere between real and imagined, capturing the way memories flicker, blur and slip away."

Student: Lauren Rufford
Course: BA (Hons) Photography
Tutors: Roel Paredaens, Dana Ariel, Ziggy Kolker, Vera Hadzhiyska, Alejandra Carles-Torla and Benjamin Jones

Free Bodies by Hannah Hatchard

"Freebodies reimagines activewear through bio-based, modular garments that challenge the dominance of synthetic sportswear.

"Developed through textile and form experimentation, the collection explores adaptable clothing that responds to different bodies and ways of moving.

"Buttons, loops and reversible elements encourage transformation and playful interaction, while laser-cut connections blur the boundaries between individual garments.

"Crafted from naturally dyed cotton, silk and hand-felted wool, each piece combines embroidery, screen printing and upcycled appliqué to celebrate natural fibres and artisanal craft.

"Inspired by Henri Matisse, the collection merges fashion, movement and art into wearable, enduring forms."

Student: Hannah Hatchard
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Tutors: Julian Roberts and Lara Torres

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the University of Portsmouth. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.