Arts University Plymouth students transform retired Plymouth Argyle shirts into circular textile designs

<p dir="ltr">The shirts were donated by Plymouth Argyle, as excess stock from previous seasons. Rather than being discarded, the official kits became the starting point for a live brief for third-year BA (Hons) Textile Design students, who were asked to keep each shirt recognisable and leave the club badge untouched while using specialist textile processes to create new designs.</p> <p dir="ltr">Students responded through techniques including dyeing, screen printing, foiling, hand and machine embroidery, beading and sublimation printing. Their designs explored Plymouth Argyle’s fan culture and the city’s identity, drawing on themes including the Green Army, Home Park, Plymouth’s maritime heritage, Smeaton’s Tower, the women’s team, Jack Leslie, Mayflower history and the Plymouth pear.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Emma Gribble, Course Leader for BA (Hons) Textile Design at Arts University Plymouth, said: “This project has offered a unique and exciting opportunity for our textile students to reimagine something so recognisable and iconic to Plymouth, transforming it into new, meaningful designs. Working with Plymouth Argyle has really strengthened our connection to place, and projects like this show the value of working creatively within our own community.”</p> <p>Finished works will be exhibited at the students’ summer Graduate Show as part of the <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/events/nxt.gen-industry-event-graduate-shows-2026">NXT.GEN showcase</a>.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A judging panel including Plymouth Argyle representatives selected two standout projects.</p> <p dir="ltr">21-year-old <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eryn.jonestextiles/">Eryn Jones</a>, originally from Caerphilly, Wales, was named selected winner for a refined design inspired by the Plymouth pear, one of Britain’s rarest native trees and a distinctive local symbol.</p> <p dir="ltr">24-year-old Eleanor Jones, from Swansea, was named fan favourite for a narrative textile design mapping the supporter journey to Home Park, with houses gradually transforming into Mayflower motifs.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fashion-media-marketing">BA (Hons) Fashion Media &amp; Marketing</a> students supported the project through on-site photography and styling, helping to document the finished shirts for public and press use.</p> <p dir="ltr">Photographers were Ben Tucker, Charlie Matthews, Kameron Simms and Olivia Manuell. BA (Hons) Textile Design students Eryn Jones, Nina de Wet and Amy Hudson-Smith modelled designs for the shoot.<br /></p>

<p>Alastair Cliffe, Head of Marketing and Communications at Plymouth Argyle, said: “We were delighted to work with Arts University Plymouth on a project that gives surplus shirts a new life and shows how deeply Argyle’s identity is woven into the city. The students approached the brief with real care for the club, our supporters and the stories that make Plymouth unique.”</p>

<p dir="ltr">The collaboration supports Arts University Plymouth’s <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/research/centre-for-circular-materials">Centre for Circular Materials</a>, which brings together research, teaching, prototyping and partnerships focused on how materials are chosen, used and kept in circulation.</p> <p dir="ltr">It also reflects Plymouth’s wider identity as a city of making, repair and circular innovation, showing how textile design can help organisations think differently about surplus materials, supporter culture and the future life of garments.<br /></p>