“Broke And Single”: Where The 2025 Central Saint Martins MA Graduates See Themselves In Five Years

In the face of a shrinking e-commerce landscape, inflation and an ongoing cost of living crisis, several of Central Saint Martins’s most well-known alumni will be absent from the London Fashion Week catwalks. Stefan Cooke, Masha Popova, Knwls, Karoline Vitto and Johanna Parv will instead present their autumn/winter 2025 collections by way of lookbook. The road ahead might look uncertain for today’s graduate designers, but CSM’s outgoing master’s students are well positioned to brave it. “Fashion should be about more than just selling products,” says menswear designer and British Fashion Council scholar William Palmer. “It should serve as a platform for self-expression and challenge societal norms. I want to contribute to the evolution of fashion in a way that encourages emotional fluency, individuality and a more thoughtful approach to both design and consumption.”

Palmer’s collection, a playful send-up of masculine archetypes set in a speculative greasy spoon, was one of 20 prodigious offerings sent through a subterranean catwalk at 180 The Strand. Themes spanned the rise of conservatism, hyper-realism in the age of AI and nymphine revelries: proof that London’s reputation as a fashion capital rides on the imaginations fired in the coals of Granary Square. It hardly bears repeating the names who have sprung from this historic crucible, but rest assured that your favourite designer (and your favourite designer’s favourite designer) is probably among them. “Central Saint Martins is the most challenging and rewarding experience,” says the design duo Kate Dewar and Alison Keogh. “Put in the work and have fun: it’ll reflect in the output.” Here, get to know five of the graduating designers from Central Saint Martins’s MA class of 2025.

How would you describe your design ethos?

Our goal is to challenge menswear norms in a way that feels authentic and wearable. We like to keep things light but there is a real depth to our work. Fun, playful, bold – and thoughtful – we want to make clothes, real clothes, that have a place in someone’s wardrobe.

Tell us about this collection.

The collection turns familiar garments into something extraordinary. Embracing hyper-normativity, we pushed fabrication and colour to new extremes. Through an AI-driven development process, we have managed to bridge the gap between the digital and physical, transforming virtual concepts into tangible designs. Classic staples – the polo shirt, dress shirt and straight-legged trouser – are reinvented with unconventional colours and experimental fabrics. The result blurs the line between reality and illusion. Ultimately, it’s about making the familiar unexpectedly captivating – compelling you to look twice and question what you see.

What are the key fabrications?

Each piece is made from a different fabric. There are some fabrics that we have taken a “cut and paste” approach to create – others have been hand-sewn, glued – but we have kept the feeling consistent across the collection, even despite the huge range of each individual fabric’s needs. Because we worked from a process that blended the digital and “real”, we had to create some of our own techniques and treatments, such as printing on lightweight chiffon to create a “technical” fabric.

What experiences have been integral to your growth as a designer at CSM?

The MA tutors are incredible, but the biggest lesson has been how important it is to surround yourself with the right people, and treat everyone you work alongside with respect. Meeting each other – and ultimately deciding to do the MA together – has been the most integral thing to our development as designers. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done. Put in the work and have fun: it’ll reflect in the output.

What would you most like to change about fashion education?

Support and access to fashion education needs to be more expansive. Generally speaking, art education is no longer accessible. It seems money matters more than genuine talent and potential.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Poor, broke, and single! (Joking.) We want to continue with this collaboration in whatever capacity we can. It would be amazing if it became a full-time job, but we understand how hard it can be to enter into a business like this. We will play the long game if we have to – and there is nothing wrong with that – but we are hopeful that people will get on board and find a space for an exciting new brand in London.

How would you describe your design ethos?

My philosophy as a designer is to challenge everything that doesn’t sit right with me. I wouldn’t say “Driven By Spite” is an ideal slogan, but I do find inspiration in that which I have an adverse reaction to. There is something very powerful in being able to change the values a garment represents through construction and textiles.

Tell us about this collection.

In Recollection//404, I explored the fragility of memory in an age shaped by technological interference, imagining how AI might misremember the present. This initially came from my frustration with fashion’s obsession with nostalgia, focusing on the resurgence of conservatism, like the rise of the trad wife aesthetic on social media. In response, I looked at traditional representations of the wife throughout different eras. I especially looked at Christian Dior and Gabrielle Chanel – designers who still inform the aesthetics of conservative dress today. By introducing glitches inspired by failed AI attempts, I aimed to disrupt the rigidity and attitudes of the garments. Through these glitches, I want to create a woman who disrupts the passivity and cleanliness tied to the notion of being a perfect wife.

What are the key fabrications?

The most important textile development in this collection has been the use of lenticular pleating, which I’ve combined with illustrations to create varying effects of a garment vanishing or being in motion. I created the prints using the CLO-3D avatar – a digital software for garment simulation and pattern cutting – to further the idea of hyper-digitalisation. The pleats impart a dream-like feeling, where legs appear to be running while the model is, in fact, walking. The vanishing garments, meanwhile, are a reference to the common nightmare of being nude in public. Shame is deeply tied to purity culture, and so I wanted to incorporate it in a way that ultimately allows the women I dress to feel shameless.

What experiences have been integral to your growth as a designer at CSM?

The one-on-one conversations I’ve had with tutors have been galvanising. Being asked the right questions and learning how to ask them myself has helped me in understanding who I am as a designer and why I am designing. Something I learnt many times during this MA is that your first instinct or inclination to make something is usually the right direction. Don’t overanalyse, that will kill it.

What would you most like to change about fashion education?

Finances are a huge issue in general. It shuts the door on so many extremely talented people. Diverse voices nurture a creative environment; the current access to fashion education hinders that.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Working on my tenth collection, I hope! The goal is just to keep furthering my work for years to come.

How would you describe your design ethos?

Noirish, thoughtful, nocturnal. I wanted to challenge the femme fatale archetype, presenting an alternative wherein you don’t have to be so loud, bold – and perhaps even cold – to have a voice.

Tell us about your collection.

This collection, Nightwalk, evokes the “unfamiliar familiarity” of walking around your neighbourhood at night. The colours fade and shadows bleed into each other and everything takes on an air of mystery. I began with wardrobe staples – suits, hoodies and dresses – and then twisted them towards the dark.

What are the key fabrications?

Texture, mismatched off-blacks and frayed edges. I played around with the grain across the garments so that the pull of the fabric distorts and forces the garments to be “off”.

What experiences have been integral to your growth as a designer at CSM?

The importance of trusting your gut: it’ll let you know where to go. It’s often worth taking a step back, and finding time to be alone and think. I was going around in circles, trying to conform to what everyone else was doing. But in the end I realised I should have trusted my intuition in the first place.

What would you most like to change about fashion education?

The cost. There are lots of funding opportunities at Central Saint Martins, but the competition is tough and spaces are limited. I wish there were more possibilities to find materials through the course, too.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In the not so distant future, I plan on extending Nightwalk into a standalone presentation. Other than that, I just want to continue telling stories through fashion design. It’s an artistic practice, and so I’m not fussed about operating inside the traditional fashion schedule.

How would you describe your design ethos?

My designs are a reflection of my own search for garments that balance comfort and practicality. It’s driven by an appreciation for simplicity, essentialism and effortless style. I design with a focus on wardrobe staples, and find myself drawn to pieces that offer both ease of movement and minimal upkeep. By stripping away unnecessary details, I prioritise high-quality fabrics and timeless appeal.

Tell us about your collection.

This collection draws inspiration from the everyday wardrobes of Joan Didion and Georgia O’Keeffe – women who were mindful of their appearance but not defined by it. I set out to create a line of essential pieces for those who want to look great with minimal effort. The collection responds to questions like: “What is effortless?”, “What is timeless?”, “What is essential?”. This became the thrust of the entire project: how easy a garment is to wear and maintain, how simple the design and construction can be. If I could own just one piece – a shirt or a coat – what qualities would it need?

What are the key fabrications?

I partnered with Manteco – an Italian firm known for sustainable wools – to create tailored pieces using recycled pre- and post-consumer garments. I only used natural fibres like viscose, silk jerseys and cotton-linen blends. I have so much love for these fabrics. The designs must not overpower them.

What experiences have been integral to your growth as a designer at CSM?

Identifying and understanding the women I design for was game-changing. It helped me create clear boundaries and provided a structure for my work. Knowing who I’m designing for made it easier to translate abstract experiments into wearable garments. My designs became more decisive, and I gained confidence in ensuring they matched the criteria I set out to achieve. One hard-won lesson was: if you feel like there is no time to stop, that is precisely when you need to rest and reflect.

What would you most like to change about fashion education?

People need to be better informed about the realities of pursuing a career in fashion: the industry is saturated and job opportunities are scarce. Beyond that, students should start understanding their work in real-world contexts earlier, not just as experimental art-school projects. Learning to design for actual people was crucial to my process. I wish I had been encouraged to do this earlier in my studies.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Running my own independent practice, and expanding my creative work beyond just fashion design.

How would you describe your design ethos?

I like my garments to feel light, effeminate and flirtatious. Clothes should create a sense of calm, seductiveness and approachability.

Tell us about your collection.

I recently read the diary of Vaslav Nijinsky and became obsessed with his piece, Afternoon of a Faun. In it, the choreographer becomes infatuated by a group of nymphs, and when one of them drops a scarf, he picks it up and dances with it. The contrast between the tightness of his dance costume and the ease of that scarf inspired the juxtaposition of constriction and looseness within this collection.

What are the key fabrications?

One of the techniques I’ve explored in this collection is a hand-stitching method called “faggoting”. It allows for pieces of fabric to be sewn to each other with a centimetre of separation, creating the illusion of floating seams. There is a striped shirt here made by faggoting individual ribbons together.

What experiences have been integral to your growth as a designer at CSM?

The CSM library really expanded my research practice, which has, in turn, impacted my fashion enormously. Being able to share that research time with my friends has been very important to me.

What would you most like to change about fashion education?

I would like for fashion schools to feel a little more amiable and warm. I’m fortunate that everyone on this MA course was welcoming and collaborative, but I understand this hasn’t always been the case.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I see myself being busy! Making clothes, reading, watching films, listening to music, going out dancing.

How would you describe your design ethos?

My aesthetic strikes a balance between seriousness and humour, drawing inspiration from the British culture I grew up inside. I aim to subvert traditional notions of masculinity by creating a modern man who is playful and sensitive. Embracing the tongue-in-cheek attitude of lad culture, the designs build on iconic menswear pieces, using innovative pattern cutting, oversized details and unconventional fabrics to evoke a sense of nostalgia.

Tell us about your collection.

It all started when I was working a minimum-wage job and questioning the “breadwinner” concept – where a man’s worth is tied to his financial success – which I decided to poke fun at with a duffle bag shaped into a loaf of bread. I wanted the collection to feel like one big hangover breakfast, capturing the messiness and the camaraderie in oversized silhouettes, with different lads gathered around a table at a British café. It’s a playful critique of the pressures young men face in conforming to rigid norms, proposing a more inclusive, and emotionally expressive version of masculinity. The “wedgie” trousers nod to how this is chapped in our early childhoods.

What are the key fabrications?

The collection draws heavily from traditional menswear materials. I’ve used weatherproof Ventile organic cotton in two different weights for the Harrington and Mac jackets; Cloudwool’s recycled British wool for the oversized duffle coats; chequered shirting fabrics from Thomas Mason; and indigo denims from Orta. I also incorporated upcycled tea towels as a reference to British culture.

What experiences have been integral to your growth as a designer at CSM?

The most important lesson I learned at Central Saint Martins was to question every decision I make. Constantly refining and challenging my choices has been key to ensuring the message comes through clearly in the garments. Striking a balance between humour and seriousness – where the designs are both fashionable and desirable – has been a real process of trial and error, but it’s taught me to always push my ideas further and stay true to the core of my vision.

What would you most like to change about fashion education?

There should be more financial support from the government for fashion schools, as well as a stronger focus on sustainability from an industry perspective. We need to challenge traditional ways of thinking in order to push larger fashion companies to source more sustainably. In an ideal world, we’d just consume less to truly be sustainable, but the current emphasis on upcycling as a solution to the climate crisis feels inadequate when mass-market companies continue to produce in excessive quantities. As young designers, it’s our responsibility to champion sustainable fabric companies, ensuring they become more accessible in the market so that, eventually, big brands will follow suit. Otherwise, fashion education should place more value on fostering creativity, individuality and emotional expression, rather than pushing students toward commercial success or conformity to trends. Fashion should be about more than just selling products – it should serve as a platform for self-expression and challenge societal norms.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I see myself running my own design studio. I’d like to be collaborating with brands that share the same sustainable values, while continuing to challenge traditional masculinities in fashion. I also hope to have developed a platform that supports sustainable practices within the industry, whether that’s through my own work or by partnering with fabric suppliers and manufacturers. Ultimately, I want to contribute to the evolution of fashion in a way that encourages a more thoughtful approach to both design and consumption.