Ornate Chinese kites, gardens in bloom and life-sized dolls provide inspiration for final-year students ahead of Edinburgh College of Art's Fashion Show.
Models pose in the sunshine outside the Edinburgh Futures Institute in four designs created by final year students at the Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Show preview.
Futures First
For the first time, the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute will be transformed into a catwalk to host the three runway shows. The iconic A-listed former Victorian hospital has been carefully redeveloped into a world-class innovation hub, providing a fitting backdrop to showcase students’ cutting-edge creations.
More than 150 designs will be modelled on the catwalk, with contrasting styles including voluminous gowns and flowing overcoats made with structured satins and hand-painted silks, alongside futuristic yet functional sportswear-inspired tailoring.
Models posed around the Edinburgh Futures Institute showcasing looks from young designers (l to r) Milly Mi, Olivia Musson, Yifei Guo and Ella Hemming.
Emerging Designers
Student Yifei Guo’s personal collection draws on the traditional craftsmanship and symbolism of Chinese kites. Reimagining kite skeletons as sculptural silhouettes, Guo uses layered fabrics like organza and chiffon, while hand-drawn prints evoke her heritage with jackets shaped like dragon-head kites.
Olivia Musson’s collection is a vibrant celebration of gardens. Using expressive prints, garments bloom with colour in a collection featuring digitally printed duchess satin, hand-felted mulberry paper and oil-painted canvas to create intricate, multi-layered gowns.
(l to r) Models Callum, Laura, Ishbel and Grace pose wearing four graduate designs in front of the University's Futures Institute.
New talent
With looks that include a dress made from speedboat tubing, Ella Hemming’s collection draws from her upbringing on Anglesey, an island off the coast of Northwest Wales, and the heritage of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The result is a powerful blend of utility and femininity, using up-cycled tubes from speedboats, Welsh tartan and layered knitwear.
Yifeng Mi’s thought-provoking work challenges human treatment of animals in captivity, re-imagining their experience to explore the ethics of control, performance and authenticity, with looks inspired by life-size dolls. The collection is characterised by exaggerated silhouettes, rich textures and a bright pink palette.
We are excited to showcase the incredible work of our students and the new graduate designers of 2025. We are immensely proud of their dedication, enthusiasm and ambition in putting their final collections together, in a show that reflects the individuality, passion and incredible talent of young designers at the very beginning of their careers. We are delighted to see their creativity come to life in the inspirational setting of the University’s new Edinburgh Futures Institute and can’t wait for audiences to enjoy them.
Professor Mal James
Programme Director of Fashion at Edinburgh College of Art
Leading programme
The annual show is a highlight of Scotland’s fashion calendar and spotlights emerging fashion innovations in womenswear, menswear, knitwear and garment construction. Edinburgh College of Art’s Fashion Programme remaining a sector leader, with students consistently achieving remarkable success.
This year, graduate Ealish Withington won the British Fashion Council, Labrum and British Library Competition 2025, which highlights the importance of research in fashion design, encouraging students to use the British Library collection for inspiration.
Creating Connections
The ECA students also have career-making opportunities to collaborate with iconic global brands and industry partners, such as Adidas, With Love Halston Foundation sponsored by the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation and Lochcarron of Scotland.
Fashion teaching at ECA is renowned for fostering creative freedom and design innovation among its students. The course includes brand development, inclusive design, sustainability and technical pattern-cutting skills.
