Winner of first-ever TikTok fashion design competition revealed

TikTok has announced Eva Clarkson as the winner of its first-ever fashion design competition, which launched last year to find the next up-and-coming talent to break into the fashion industry.

Clarkson's winning design (pictured below) blends unique tailoring and material reinvention. Working with an old saddle, she upcycled a piece of riding equipment into a bespoke corset, transforming the saddle into a wearable fashion item fit for the fashion front row.

Alongside being crowned winner of the #TikTokFashion design competition, Clarkson's winning design and the garments from her wider collection have been produced professionally, and she'll be represented by SheerLuxe's brand new fashion talent agency Blush Talent Management for six months. She will also receive funding towards creating a brand film to help build her portfolio.

"I believe TikTok is an amazing platform to support emerging designers and creatives because you can come from a trained or untrained background. You can also showcase your work with like-minded creatives, who are all very supportive and intrigued by the end result, but most importantly, the process," said Clarkson.

"TikTok has paved the way for social media and creativity to come together through hashtags such as #TikTokFashion, #LondonFashionWeek, #NewYorkFashionWeek and #ParisFashionWeek, which I know, from personal experience, is how I look for motivation and inspiration."

@evaclarkson21 Blending my working class routes with luxury in order to create Contemporary . British . Hertiage For inspirtation combining the city with country pursuits. Materials found damaged, discarded and dontated from old horse saddles and plumbing hardware. Please enjoy my visual process jounrey from material, idea, sketch, proto to product. Instagram: clarksonbespoke ##tiktokfashion##tiktokfashioncompetition##tiktokfashionweek##tiktokfashioncollective##tiktokfashiondesigncompetition##sustainablefashion##emergingdesigner##fashiontiktok##fashiondesigner##centralsaintmartinsgraduate##londoncollegeoffashion ♬ sonido original - ȶʊʍɛʝօʀʀօʟǟ.85

The #TikTokFashion design competition required no previous experience to enter. So, wannabe designers, fashion graduates, and content creators with an eye for style all had the chance to get creative as TikTok searched for the next generation of fashion talent.

Entrants needed to design and create either an upcycled piece or a brand new, original design, documenting their creative process from start to finish on the social media platform.

Thousands of entries were whittled down to the winner by the judges, overseen by a panel of creators and industry experts including Andrea Chong, Bernard Garby, Verona Farrell, and Charlotte Collins, Editor-in-Chief of SheerLuxe.

Yazmin How, Head of Lifestyle & Education at TikTok UK, said: "The TikTok creator community continues to amaze us with its creativity, and we were overwhelmed by the quality of the designs submitted to the UK's first TikTok Fashion design competition.

"Eva's eye for detail and passion for pushing boundaries with tailoring really impressed our judging panel, so it was only right that she has been crowned the winner.

"There's a new generation of creative talent flourishing on TikTok, and we're proud to help connect them with opportunities to turn their passions into careers. We're so excited to watch Eva's next steps as she starts to build her creative portfolio."

The competition forms part of TikTok's mission to make fashion more relatable and accessible while redefining the industry.

Last September, the platform launched its first-ever #TikTokFashion Collective, which saw creatives, designers, and fashion thinkers on TikTok sharing their experiences of Fashion Month around the world with their followers.