We’re so excited to announce the three winners of our international design competition in collaboration with the incredible Rosemary Moore, the inventor of the iconic 4-way stretch MAXXAM fabric.
This challenge invited fashion students from universities in the UK and around the world to design a trend-led S/S 2026 womenswear capsule collection using MAXXAM fabrics. The brief? Celebrate the fabric’s legacy with timeless, multi-functional pieces – including at least one item of swimwear.
The response blew us away. Over 40 students applied, and narrowing it down wasn’t easy. But after much deliberation (and a seriously inspiring round of in-person judging), we’re thrilled to introduce the three official winners of the GFF x MAXXAM competition:
Ivo Gomes: Southampton Solent University
Ella Brooks-Birkett: Manchester Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University
Paballo Sannah Mafokate: STADIO School of Fashion, South Africa
Rosemary Moore said herself, “The creativity, imagination, and commercial potential shown by all the students was phenomenal. Ivo, Paballo, and Ella truly captured the spirit of the fabric while pushing it forward for the next generation.”
All three winners will showcase their collections at Graduate Fashion Week this June (13–16th, Truman Brewery, Shoreditch), where one of them will go on to win a very special prize: the opportunity to collaborate directly with Rosemary and her manufacturers and potentially see their piece go into production. We’re just as excited as you are to see who it’ll be!
Here’s what the winners had to say:
Ivo: “Getting to this stage feels wonderful. To win would feel like winning in life – but either way, this has been such a valuable learning experience.”
Ella: “This is way outside my comfort zone, so getting here feels amazing. Winning would mean so much and really help launch my fashion career.”
Paballo: “Being recognised like this, on a global platform, is something rare in Africa. It would be a beautiful blessing and an incredible career jumpstart.”
You can follow their journey and get behind-the-scenes sneak peeks over on our social channels using #GFFxMAXXAM