Using her dissertation to explore the unsustainable structure of the global fashion industry, Alex questioned this by developing a sports accessories collection from locally sourced materials. Predicting a near future scenario in which global accessibility would impact supply chains, Alex networked within the perimeters of London to source materials from three channels - sports waste, by-product and traded yarn. Her aim being to showcase the potential of local design.

Gathering both inspiration and materials from sports facilities in London, deconstructing and reconstructing became integral to the design process to show circular possibilities. As well as to demonstrate creating amongst scarcity and within limited physical constraints. A situation designers may continue to find themselves in within the near future. With a specialism in colour, Alex also investigated methods of circular yarns within the collection. Deconstructing climbing rope fibres and other textiles from sports waste, Alex combined these with wool fleece collected from the local city farm. This created new textured yarns, eradicating the need for dyes and chemicals to achieve colour.

As the collection developed, Alex used her interests in photography and styling to communicate the concept. Digitally manipulating images allowed her to showcase sustainability iterations, alongside documentation of the research and processes on the project’s website. The journey being integral to the collection, to inspire designers, buyers and forecasters to adopt the design model as a tool.