Hainsworth has reconnected with the London College of Fashion, UAL, on a new student design project.

The British fabric manufacturer and woollen mill had tasked the final-year BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring students to create a unique jacquard cloth design with the winners invited to weave and finish their fabric at the West Yorkshire heritage textile mill.

The result is that three students were selected to complete the task with Anna Zhou, Anastasia Inozemtseva and Matilda Jonathan winning through by demonstrating “originality, quality craftsmanship, and sustainability”. 

The trio visited the Hainsworth Mill in Yorkshire to see their designs woven on Jacquard looms, ready to be transformed into tailored garments. They also formed part of their graduate showcase presentation at Protein Studios in London’s Shoreditch.

Course leader Daniel Poulson said:  “Providing our… students with the opportunity to design and execute a fully bespoke jacquard weave… is a unique and valuable experience. 

“Seeing their ideas come to life at the mill, from fibre to finished product, has been rewarding for all involved. As course leader, I am grateful for the investment and exchange of knowledge and expertise throughout this creative process.” 

Andrea Noble, Design and Product Development Manager at Hainsworth, added: “The project was another huge success. The students were once again very engaged, professional, and clearly ambitious for a career in tailoring.
 
“All the students did an excellent job, but in the end, we chose our winners because they did a remarkable job of demonstrating originality, quality and craftsmanship while embracing a sustainability-focused approach. In addition to this, the students also considered how they would reduce fabric waste whilst crafting an expertly-tailored design suitable for their commercial clients.”