From teaming up with footballer and activist Marcus Rashford to support youth centres across the country, to turning its factory over to making PPE for medical workers in the early days of the pandemic, 2020 has seen Burberry majorly step up to do its bit for the world. Now, the British luxury brand has revealed its latest endeavour, as it teams up with the British Fashion Council for a new initiative to share unused fabrics with students in need.

Entitled the ReBurberry Fabric program, the pilot initiative will provide students with rolls of leftover Burberry fabrics to use in their collections – sadly, sans the iconic Burberry check – with the hope of crafting a sustainable model that other fashion brands can follow in the future. 

“Providing resources for the next generation of diverse voices across the country in a sustainable way will enable them to bring their creativity to life, and continue through their programmes with the tools they need,” the label explained in a statement. “We look forward to seeing how donations can positively impact these academic institutions and students, and hope this is the beginning of a wider industry initiative to support these communities, now and in the future.”

Burberry follows in the footsteps of Alexander McQueen, which gifted old fabrics to 14 different universities earlier this year. These donations come at a crucial time for fashion students, who have taken a major hit as classes move online due to the pandemic – in addition to a lack of studio time and space and having to get to grips with remote learning, many students are facing financial struggles when it comes to funding resources. 

In other Burberry news, Ricardo Tisci took home a British Fashion Award last week for his creativity at the helm of the luxury brand. “Remember to always love each other and to stand up for all communities – together we can continue to create real positive change,” he said on Instagram in response to the win.