Rotherham College Students Host Fashion Exhibition at Rotherham Minster

Rotherham College students are exhibiting their ‘Killer Fashion’ work at Rotherham Minster during the last two weeks of January 2026 from 19th to 30th January.

Rotherham College part of the RNN Group (made up of campuses including North Notts College, Dearne Valley College and University Centre Rotherham (UCR)) has a proud history of being a creative college, and fashion and textiles students have launched this contemporary collection of sustainable fashion fit for the 21st century.

Four Level 3 students wanted to highlight specific situations through their creative work and so created the Killer Fashion collection which includes representative themes focusing on children working in the fashion industry and losing their childhood, the unrealistic body expectations of models and the damage it does to them physically, the sexual harassment in the fashion industry from models to factory workers and the dangerous chemicals used in industries and the effects it can have on their workers.

They aim to highlight issues such as

• Over production of clothes and mountains of waste clothes take years or even decades – if they are man made – to decompose;
• Microplastics being released from our clothes into our oceans;
• High carbon footprint from the production of clothing and releasing greenhouse gases through the manufacture of fibres and global transportation;
• Excessive water consumption for fibre production such as cotton have dried up seas such as the Aral sea and had a major impact on both the wildlife that relied on the water source as well as the livelihoods of the villages and people that lived nearby;
• Deforestation for wood pulp fibres made into cloth such as viscose or rayon

There are many issues in the fashion industry for both the environment and the individuals within it. However by raising the issues and making the manufacturers of the brands be more transparent and responsible for their actions we can make a difference.

The students researched the issues in the fashion industry to inform people of the unethical practices that they may be unwittingly supporting. They have worked on proposals, fashion items and have created a fashion shoot with the items alongside interviews to accompany the project.

Fashion and Textiles Curriculum Lead, Katrina McAlister, said, “The exhibition demonstrates a range of unethical practices that exist in the fashion industry and the students have had the chance to creatively inform the audience of the different issues.

“Our up and coming fashion students can challenge the practices and hopefully make the fashion industry a better place for everyone involved.

“It also hopefully allows people to make more informed purchases for their wardrobe and make them understand what killer fashion activities can also be found in their wardrobe.”

Visit the exhibition at Rotherham Minster between 19th and 30th January 2026. For more information on fashion courses at Rotherham College visit: https://www.rotherham.ac.uk/department/art-graphic-design-and-fashion/