Brighton student wins top national prize with her striking collection of vintage fashion designs

Sabrina Nieddu, who is studying for a degree in Fashion Design with Business Studies BA(Hons) in the School of Art and Media, has won the British Fashion Council’s BFC x Net-A-Porter Fashion Vanguard Award, for her unique designs weaving deeply personal stories of struggle and trauma with bold fashion styles. The award which is designed to support emerging talents redefining the future of fashion, is funded by the BFC’s Education Fund and includes a £12,500 scholarship, as well as professional support and mentorship.

This win follows a standout year in which Sabrina received an earlier British Fashion Council Scholarship and was awarded the Nagoya University Prize for Excellence after presenting her designs at the Graduate Fashion Show, as part of the University of Brighton’s Summer Show series.

Sabrina Nieddu

As a designer, Sabrina’s garments are crafted from reclaimed fabrics and stand out for their powerful storytelling and intimate connection to her Sardinian roots. Influenced by childhood memories of her mother’s tailor shop and the strength of the women in her family, she blends craftsmanship, upcycling, and narrative-driven design to create garments that repurpose forgotten materials to tell often-overlooked stories.

“I still can’t believe I’ve been chosen for this prize,” Sabrina said.

“I’ve always struggled with confidence in myself and my practice, and winning this award makes me feel seen, supported in my design choices, and more confident to continue exploring a different way of making fashion.”

Sabrina’s journey into fashion hasn’t been straightforward. After moving to England from Italy in 2013, she worked and saved for years to pursue her dream of studying fashion at the University of Brighton.

She said: “I will be forever grateful to the University of Brighton, which saw something in my work and offered me a place; it changed everything. For the first time, I was allowed to think, question, research, and create freely. The conversations with tutors, the feedback, the challenges, and the atmosphere where anything feels possible have shaped my mindset and helped me develop my design language.”

Craig Higgins, Subject Lead for Fashion at the School of Art and Media, said: “Sabrina’s designs have consistently demonstrated how fashion can be a form of emotional expression and sustainable activism through her approaches to craft. Her work is deeply rooted in extensive personal research, treated with purpose and care. She has a rare ability to make beauty from inter-generational histories and pain, and this award is a well-deserved recognition of her talent, resilience and creative vision. We cannot wait to see what she does next.”

Thanks to the award, Sabrina hopes to explore a research project that is deeply personal, shaped by her own experiences and relationship with the Brighton Women’s Centre.