The Wool4School UK competition in 2025 invited students to immerse themselves in the enchanting world of botanicals and let their creativity bloom in unique and imaginative ways.
Well done to all the students who entered the competition – we loved seeing all your ideas brought to life using wool as a creative medium. Special congratulations to the winners who were selected by VIP designer judge Cassie Quinn from regenerative fashion lab CQ Studio.
JUNIOR CATEGORY WINNER
Amy Lay
The Henrietta Barnett School, London
Amy focussed on the natural life cycles of plants: the beauty of how the death of one plant could be the start of another, similar to the biodegradable and renewable attributes of wool. She chose the orchid – and the idea of its bloom, death and regrowth – as the main focus of her design.
“Amy had a beautiful approach to the theme, investigating botanical life cycles,” Cassie said.
“Her submission included extremely detailed research into wool and clearly demonstrated the information in a visually appealing way. It showed a detailed design development with information on all the techniques explored, along with a strong visual colour palette and associated natural sources of dyes.
“It was an amazing final design with brilliant detail along with some photography from The Wool Lab to communicate how the design will look.”
As the junior competition winner, Amy receives a half day workshop with CQ Studio including travel and accommodation, plus a graphics tablet.
We caught up with Amy to dive into the inspiration behind her winning Wool4School design.
What made you enter the competition?
I decided to enter the competition to practice designing to a brief, something that I feel acts as a restraint but also a great source of inspiration. Furthermore, the theme of botanicals especially intrigued me.
Can you please explain your design?
My design is drawn from appreciating the life cycles of plants and the beauty at all stages. This resulted in me centring the orchid within my design: a flower which blooms and then withers and seems to die, remaining dormant until the next flowering season.
What was your favourite part about the competition?
My favourite part of the competition was definitely the design process. It was extremely enjoyable to develop my design from my initial ideas and see how certain aspects grew and changed with each iteration. Furthermore, the large variety of ways wool could be used meant I was not at all limited in my options, and it was great to see the different ways I could manipulate it to suit my vision.
What are your thoughts on your win?
I would say that I’m elated and extremely grateful to have been selected, especially since I really enjoyed designing for this brief and went through multiple iterations before falling upon my final design.
Do you have any advice for students who are thinking of entering the competition?
What I found most helpful when entering was definitely the resources on the website. I would say they are quite useful to understand what needs to be included when presenting your design so that your design is given the right stage to display your ideas and your creativity.
SENIOR CATEGORY WINNER
Nina Fowler
Wisbech Grammar School, Cambridgeshire
Nina’s design focussed on figs and their bounty of internal flowers that never bloom externally. This concept is embodied in her winning design that symbolises growth and hidden beauty. The Merino wool is dyed in striking natural dyes, evocative of the colours of the fig.
“Nina had a strong concept for this botanical interpretation,” Cassie said.
“There is depth and soul from the beginning of her research; the in-depth research of wool is clear and exhibited on the research page. Using textile development for both aesthetics and performance is clever and shows an intelligent designer.
“There is an exceptional amount of detail in the development and final design. There is also a clear link and progress from the sketches to the final design and I can see how this has evolved. All the details have been considered down to the colour palette based on natural dyes.”
As the senior competition winner, Nina receives a five-day short course at the University of Arts London (UAL) and a half day workshop with CQ Studio, including travel and accommodation.
We asked Nina about her thoughts on Wool4School – from entering all the way through to winning.
What made you enter the competition?
I found the competition online and when I saw the design theme ‘Botanicals’, I became immediately interested as I love the natural world. I took this as an opportunity to express my creativity and love for designing through experimenting with my initial ideas. Nature has always been a big part of my life, so I felt this would be a perfect chance to bring my visions to life in a meaningful, personal way as I create my designs.
Can you please explain your design?
My designs focus on an often-overlooked fact: that figs are in fact flowers, not fruits. Through my designs, I am able to show the hidden beauty of the fig flower by incorporating a range of Merino wool materials and innovations. I intended to show how the fig blooms within my designs so that the inflorescence is recognised and its beauty admired. The use of all-natural Merino wool benefits my botanical designs creating a sense of reconnection with nature, considering many clothes today are made with various chemicals.
What was your favourite part about the competition?
The experimentation stage was definitely my favourite part of the competition, as I was able to take risks and use my own knowledge and skill set to make physical samples and tests using techniques such as crochet and paper construction to bring elements of my designs to life. I really loved researching designers and their wool innovations to inspire my own designs, using innovative woollen fabrics, as well as researching the properties of Merino wool and using them to their advantage in my designs. I felt like I had a lot of freedom to use my new ideas and concepts, which greatly improved my skills too.
What are your thoughts on your win?
I was so shocked and delighted to hear that I had won the competition! It feels so rewarding to find that my designs can be appreciated by others, and it gives me confidence as well as determination to succeed with my future plans. It reminds me that hard work always eventually pays off!
Do you have any advice for students who are thinking of entering the competition?
If you’re contemplating whether to enter or not, just do it! I certainly did not expect to win! It’s better to have a go rather than have regrets, questioning, “What if I had entered and won?” Even just participating in this competition is a great achievement and valuable experience. It made me realise just how much I love designing.
TEACHER WINNER
Craig Fellows, Northampton College
There are a range of resources to help teachers implement the Wool4School program into the classroom and align it with the curriculum. These include free lesson plans, editable PowerPoints, online videos and webinars, plus student worksheets, examples, and other resources.
Craig was the teacher winner this year and receives a set of wool materials for the classroom.
We asked Craig about the benefits of entering the competition.
What made you enter the competition?
We entered the competition to give our students an opportunity to push their creativity beyond the classroom and engage with a live brief that mirrors the creative industry. It was a chance for them to showcase their skills, gain confidence, and have their work seen by a wider audience. At Northampton College, we’re always looking for ways to challenge and inspire our learners, and this competition aligned perfectly with that goal.
Do you have any advice for teachers who are thinking of entering the competition and using the resources?
The provided resources are strong, adaptable, and encourage critical thinking and creativity. They can easily be integrated into existing schemes of work and enrich the learning experience. My advice would be to allow students the freedom to interpret the brief in their own way and use the opportunity as a springboard for discussion about fashion’s role in society, sustainability, and innovation. It’s a fantastic way to bridge education and industry.
STUDENT LUCKY DRAW WINNER
Elsie Read, Hethersett Academy, Norwich
As the lucky draw winner, Elsie wins a one-year subscription to Vogue magazine.
Winners attend workshop with CQ Studio
The winners of both student competitions, Amy and Nina, received a half day workshop in London with CQ Studio, a luxury design studio that addresses the environmental challenges of modern fashion production by working with natural fibres and waste products.
Founder and Creative Director of CQ Studio, Cassie Quinn, is a renowned designer, innovator, and sustainability advocate.
After starting the workshop hearing from Cassie about the themes of her research and viewing her work, Amy and Nina then explored natural screen print inks using fabrics kindly provided by Woolmark.
“I took the winners through the methods to make screen print inks using natural colours and explained the sources of the pigments used, and we then made stencils to create their custom designs,” Cassie said.
“They layered colours on top of different weights and textures of wool fabric to experiment with different design outcomes. While these samples dried, we provided some of our Detox Embellishments for the winners to use in embroidery samples to create fully sustainable, biodegradable textiles.
“At the end of the day, I provided Amy and Nina with links to publications they might enjoy and the recipes of the screenprint inks to continue experimenting with. I let them know I’m happy to give them with further advice and to review their portfolios when the time comes for them to apply to university.”
