Following the “outstanding success of its inaugural year”, textiles brand Maxxam is linking with the Graduate Fashion Foundation (GFF) to launch the second edition of their national design competition.

Building on the “momentum, creativity, and exceptional talent showcased last year”, the 2025/26 competition invites fashion students across the UK and internationally “to reimagine the future of womenswear using Maxxam’s seamless, four-way stretch textiles.

Open to second- and final-year students from GFF-member universities, the competition “challenges entrants to create a trend-led womenswear S/S 2027 capsule collection”.

This year’s brief places “a stronger spotlight on interchangeable, multipurpose athleisure-inspired pieces, with particular emphasis on swimwear”.

Students are encouraged to “explore new stripe variations, jacquards, surface effects and sustainable design strategies, reflecting [Maxxam’s] ongoing commitment to low-waste manufacturing and its transition toward bio-based fibres”.

​Three finalists will be selected to produce one full look from their submitted range, working hands-on with Maxxam Textiles and its UK manufacturing partners. These final looks will be showcased at Graduate Fashion Week 2026, displayed within the exhibition and modelled on the catwalk during the prestigious Gala Show.

From these finalists, there will be one overall winner, who will be awarded a trophy on the Gala runway on 18 June 2026, alongside a £250 cash prize and further industry mentoring experiences.

Rosemary Moore, inventor of the brand’s original fabric, said: “We are excited once more to be part of GFW It was a real pleasure connecting to the new generation of students last year and supporting them through the creative and the manufacturing process, we are aiming this year to also take them behind the scenes of our textile manufacturing in the midlands, especially if they offer creative concepts we can put into practice for them.”