- Aileen Yu
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Leaders from the government, universities, businesses and entrepreneurs
from around the world visited one of Yorkshire’s most renowned textile
mills last Monday, January 27. Hailing from Australia, the US, Denmark,
China and Norway, delegates arrived in the Leeds City Region as part of a
programme led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The MIT
Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (MIT-REAP) provides expert
guidance to support regions to accelerate economic growth. As part of an
‘ecosystem tour’ exploring opportunities available for entrepreneurship in
the region, Future Fashion Factory hosted the delegates on a visit to one
of their partners, AW Hainsworth. The tour delved into how the region’s
long-established textile industry continues to perform among the world’s
best through innovation, connectivity, and inclusivity for entrepreneurs,
as well as how Future Fashion Factory supports fashion and textile
businesses to access collaborative research and development.
Future Fashion Factory is a 5.4 million pounds research programme aimed
at encouraging innovation in the UK’s fashion and textile industry. It is
funded by the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, which is part of UK
Research and Innovation (UKRI), and led by the University of Leeds in
partnership with the University of Huddersfield and Royal College of Art.
Headed by the seventh generation of the Hainsworth family, AW Hainsworth is
still located in its original mill buildings in Stanningley, Leeds.
Visitors partook in a dedicated tour to discover the innovative products
and processes at the heart of a contemporary vertical textile mill while
gaining an insight into the on-site Hainsworth Creative Hub which provides
support for local fashion entrepreneurs. Designers from the Future Fashion
Factory network across Yorkshire and London’s Royal College of Art joined
the visit and shared their experiences of using Yorkshire cloth and
exporting worldwide.
Professor Stephen Russell, Director of Future Fashion Factory stated in
a press release, “Yorkshire’s textile industry remains at the forefront of
the sector worldwide, driven by innovative solutions to produce
high-quality cloth for the world’s biggest brands. We are proud to welcome
the MIT-REAP cohort to find out more about Future Fashion Factory’s
commitment to enabling business growth.”
Adam Hainsworth, Director at AW Hainsworth added, “We’re are excited to
host the MIT-REAP visit and to demonstrate the important roles that
innovation and connecting with emerging talent and new businesses play
within our own business model. We are fully committed to ensuring continued
support for entrepreneurs and students, both through Future Fashion Factory
and as an independent business, and believe the opportunity to shed light
on the importance of this through the REAP visit will be beneficial to many
businesses.”
Photos: courtesy of Future Fashion Factory
