Nature and music inspire new designs from students in the Scottish Borders

Compostable clothing, art from ocean waste and garments with musical microchips stitched into them are among the final year projects to be showcased by students this month at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design.

Other student projects include a medical centre inspired by beehives and a children’s book about wool.

The School’s 2025 Degree Show will display student work including textile designs, interior designs, fashion garments, digital designs and design management work at the High Mill building, a converted textile mill in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, where the School is based.

The show will launch with a private showing for industry, staff and friends and family on Friday 16 May, before opening to the public between Saturday 17 May to Wednesday 21 May.

Around 140 students from countries including Scotland, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, India, Malaysia and the United States are taking part in the event.

Sasha MacAulay – Bachelor of Science (BSc) Fashion Technology

Fashion Technology student Sasha MacAulay, 21, from Cupar in Fife, has created a range of fully home compostable garments called ‘Return to Earth Clothing.’ Her collection, ‘Chan eil lorg air’ – Gaelic for ‘there is no trace of it,’ has no plastic or metal fastenings and is made from 100% biodegradable, natural fabric including Harris Tweed from clothmaker Harris Tweed Hebrides, woollen yarn scraps from Selkirk-based weavers, Lochcarron of Scotland, linen, bamboo silk and waxed cotton from Dundee waxed cloth specialists, Halley Stevensons.

Sasha said: “I love fashion and I love experimenting, but I have this big warning sign in the back of my head that everything I enjoy making creates so much waste. I wanted to try and find a way to combat that, so the natural materials return to earth”

For fastenings, Sasha has used a new braiding technique, lacing and fabric buttons inspired by sailing knots, while the dyes used are either natural or have sustainability certification.

“The threads are biodegradable as well,” she addeds. “So the idea is that, at the end of its life, you can just cut up the garment and put it in the compost heap in your garden.”

Sasha has made nine garments for the degree show, including two jackets, a dress, a blouse, a top, a waistcoat, a skirt and a fairisle jumper featuring her own fairisle design. She hopes to have her own brand one day, but immediately after graduating hopes to be accepted onto a bespoke kiltmaking course and will also be working in the knitwear business of another former School of Textiles and Design graduate.

Rhianne Dagg – Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Communication Design

Communication Design student Rhianne Dagg, 21, from Kelso in the Scottish Borders, has created a photographic book that captures the reality of plastic pollution on our shores and in our oceans.

“I've always loved the ocean,” Rhianne said. “Some of my fondest memories are of visiting the beach with my grandparents, collecting shells and exploring the shoreline. That personal connection, paired with the growing urgency of plastic pollution, inspired me to focus my honours project on this issue.”

To create her book, Rhianne collected a wide range of ocean plastics along the east coast of the Scottish Borders, from Coldingham Bay to Eyemouth. The bits of waste plastic she picked up included plastic bottles and bottle tops, bits of children’s toys, a bucket, rubber gloves and fishing detritus including bits of plastic rope, tools and fishing nets. Her photographs neatly arrange the ocean waste against stark white backgrounds and include a collage of ocean waste in all the colours of the rainbow.

“Each image taken during my beach cleanups documents not only the variety of waste I found, but also the process of how plastic breaks down over time, from larger to smaller pieces, making them increasingly harmful and harder to remove,” Rhianne explained. “Through this work, I hope to inspire viewers to reflect on the impact of their everyday choices and to see that even small changes in behaviour can make a huge difference.”

Erik Dibos – Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fashion

Fashion student Erik Dibos, 24, from Chicago in the United States, has created a menswear clothing range inspired by music and workwear. He has stitched microchips into his garments that link to Spotify music tracks when tapped with a mobile phone.

“I’m a really big fan of music and my overall theme was about music and memories,” Erik explained. “It's the idea of how a certain song can bring about a memory you may have had in the past. I wanted to take that into my clothing, so have scattered chips called NFC (Near Field Communication) tags around my garments. These use similar technology to contactless debit cards. So you basically just tap your phone to this NFC tag and it'll pop up with the Spotify link that I attached to it.”

Erik’s garments, which include a jumpsuit, jackets, trousers and knitted accessories, are also printed with designs inspired by cymatics – the study of sound and vibrations.

He explained: “I created a device where you just have a little cup of water on top of a speaker. Then when you play a song, some ripples and designs come up on the cup of water. I took photos and video of those designs and translated them into print.”

Erik hopes to have his own fashion brand in the future, after getting some experience in the industry.

Aneesha Nair – Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Interior Architecture & Design

Interior Architecture & Design student Aneesha Nair, 20, from Malaysia, has designed a cancer treatment centre inspired by beehives.

“Bees are very much community-based creatures, so I’ve used that as the concept for my design,” Aneesha explains. “Being able to have loved ones around is really important in building a patient’s mental strength. So I’ve designed treatment areas that are more comfortable and private and where guests and loved ones can also be with patients while they’re receiving treatment. Greater comfort is also better for hospital staff, who might be on their feet all day.”

Aneesha wanted to design a cancer treatment centre after her aunt passed away from cancer two years ago.

“This project is heavily inspired by my aunt’s journey,” she said. “I wanted to get away from the stereotype of clinical hospital settings, and reimagine what a space might look like if the designers thought more about the users of that space – patients, staff and families.”

Aneesha’s beehive-inspired design is made up of two hexagonal pods stacked on top of each other. The lower pod is a café space and the upper pod combines treatment areas with comfortable social spaces including board games and books. Honeycomb motifs reflect the beehive theme, including tunnel-like hexagonal entryways inspired by the inner structure of beehives.

Aneesha hopes to pursue a career in interior architecture that will help her “make a positive change to people's lives through design.”

Yennifer Roquett – Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fashion Branding and Promotion

Yennifer Roquett, 23, is completing her BA (Hons) degree in Fashion Branding and Promotion and for her Degree Show project, has written and illustrated a children’s book about wool.

“I fell in love with textiles at a very young age and wanted to show children the beauty of fabric and the creative process behind it,” Yennifer explained. “I’ve done this through Wooly, an adventurous sheep who goes on a journey to discover what happens to her wool.”

In the story, Wooly visits a factory where she learns about each stage that her wool goes through after shearing, including sorting, spinning, dyeing and weaving. Yennifer’s book includes real wool samples collected from wool company British Wool and weaver Lochcarron of Scotland, both based in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders.

“At the end of the book, Wooly explains to her family what she's learned and shows them how to knit,” Yennifer added.

Originally from Venezuela and now living in Edinburgh, Yennifer hopes to explore a career in event planning after graduation.

“I’d love to create community events that bring people of all ages together,” she said.

For the first time, this year’s Degree Show will connect Heriot-Watt’s campuses in both Scotland and Dubai through an interactive online portal, allowing visitors to experience the talent and innovation of students in both regions. This interconnected event is designed to highlight the importance of cross-cultural exchange and global collaboration in the design world.

Dr Joatan Preis Dutra, Project Lead for the 2025 Degree Show and Assistant Professor in Digital Design and Innovation at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design, said: “The Degree Show is a milestone moment for our students – a celebration of their creativity, dedication and personal growth. This year, we’re proud to introduce the digital portal connecting our campuses in Scotland and Dubai, symbolising Heriot-Watt’s identity as one global university. It’s a reflection of the joint programmes we deliver across continents, and the shared values that unite our international community.”

Julian Malins, Executive Dean at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design, said: “Design skills are increasingly in demand, so we’re excited to be introducing this new cohort of extremely talented students to the industry. We look forward to hearing about the next chapters in their careers.”

Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design is a centre of excellence in design and dates back to 1883, when classes in weaving, dyeing and chemistry were introduced to train workers for the local textiles industry.

Honorary Graduates include British designer Jasper Conran, the late British fashion icon Dame Vivienne Westwood and retail expert Mary Portas.

The Scottish Borders is at the heart of Scotland's luxury textile and design industry and has a long history of textile production.

The 2025 Degree Show of Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design is open to the public between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 17 May and from Monday 19 May to Wednesday 21 May at Heriot-Watt University, Scottish Borders Campus High Mill Building, Galashiels, TD1 3HE. Please note the show is closed on Sunday 18 May.