Anna Melegh sourced discarded salmon skins and used the new tannery facilities at the University’s Institute for Creative Leather Technologies to make them into leather.

She was on the point of turning the leather into a shoe and accessory range that she had designed as her final-year collection when covid-19 led to the temporary closure of the university.

Undeterred, Ms Melegh submitted her design concepts to the Graduate Fashion Foundation Awards. Graduate Fashion Foundation is a charitable organisation that aims to be a “springboard for new talent”. Its awards competition runs every year and is open to final-year students from 33 universities in the UK and 47 overseas institutions.

There are 22 categories in the competition; Anna Melegh has been shortlisted in the footwear and accessories categories.

The shortlist for footwear includes the work of eight students from De Montfort University in Leicester and of one from the University for the Creative Arts in Epsom. In accessories, there are nine other students shortlisted, representing eight different universities. Anna Melegh is the only person to appear on both short-lists.

The judges will announce the winners in September.