Are you a researcher with proven abilities to carry out research in the field of fashion and textiles? Do you have the expertise to support and complement research related to the impact of Brexit and COVID-19 on the UK fashion and textile industry? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s […]
We are recruiting for a post-doctoral researcher (or industry equivalent experience) to lead on a project with William Clark & Sons within the SME R&D Support Programme. William Clark & Sons is Ireland’s oldest surviving linen mill having established in 1736. They are the last commercial beetlers in the world; a historic mechanical process involving the […]
We are recruiting for two new positions to work across the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology and the UAL Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute. The SME R&D Manager will have a leading role with the FTTI, and will also deliver and build upon the established BFTT SME R&D Programme with an award portfolio of c. […]
The post holder will play a key role in the strategic development of the Institute of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (IFTT), UAL. They will help to establish relevant partnerships across industry, academia and government to support a portfolio of research, and research informed knowledge exchange. They will show academic fashion, textiles and technology related leadership […]
We are recruiting for an Associate Director Partnerships and Business Development, who will play a key role in the strategic development and execution of the UAL’s Institute for Fashion, Textiles and Technology’s initial business plan (2021-2026), raising funds through the establishment of partnerships from industry, academia and government, and overseeing delivery of and building academic […]
We are recruiting up to three Post-Doctoral Researchers (or post-graduate equivalent with demonstrable industry or research experience) to work as Research & Development (R&D) Fellows, with the Institute of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (IFTT), University of the Arts London, leading on the development and delivery of novel contract research, with affiliated SMEs and industry partners. […]
Dr Shama Rahman, R&D Project Lead at University of the Arts London, and Alfredo Orobio, CEO, present the most recent updates from AWAYTOMARS. AWAYTOMARS is a pioneering fashion technology company that aims to democratise fashion design through collaboration via a novel digital gaming platform. Supported by the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology, AWAYTOMARS is […]
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Business for Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) team to manage and oversee the development of our Creative SME R&D Support Programme. The Programme to date has supported R&D innovation in the following fields: bio-material development; food and metal waste initiatives; sustainable woven and non-woven textiles for interiors, […]
UKRI has just published a feature article on the work we have been doing so far. The Business of Fashion, Textiles & Technology Partnership, together with our fellow Creative Cluster Future Fashion Factory in Leeds, has ‘provided a driving force in innovation to ensure the UK industry remains at the forefront of creativity and technology’ […]
UAL:University of the Arts London is recruiting for two part-time post-doc positions for the successful delivery of a specialist workstream focused on building resilience in the UK’s creative and visitor sectors and their value chain (aka the experience economy) by enhancing engagement with digital technologies. The successful candidates will be working with partners across a […]
What do creative entrepreneurs need? To answer this question, we interviewed Martin Brambley, co-founder of Doppelhaus Ltd, a company specialised in developing sustainable, nonwoven materials. Martin speaks about the challenges that entrepreneurs face when starting a business, particularly when they do not come from a well-off family background and can only count on their skills […]
We have interviewed Bruno de Penanster and Dr Raquel Prado of Ananas Anam, which is the company behind Piñatex®, an innovative natural textile made from pineapple leaf fibre. Bruno and Raquel talk about how valuable Research and Development (R&D) is in order to improve the materials, look for new applications and develop new products. Ananas […]
We have interviewed Alfredo Orobio of AWAYTOMARS, an innovative collaboration platform to crowdsource creativity, that helps designers introduce their work to the world and lets them hear what the world has to say. Alfredo talks about how Research and Development (R&D) can contribute to the development of AWAYTOMARS’s co-creation platform. AWAYTOMARS is a recipient of […]
We have interviewed Anna Glover, whose multi award-winning design studio specialises in bespoke wallpaper for the global luxury interiors market. Anna talks about how Research and Development (R&D) is relevant to help them create new and more sustainable products. Anna Glover is a recipient of one of ten awards given as part of the first […]
We interviewed Sam Reich of Tibor, a London-based creative weaving company with a long heritage in the luxury interior fabrics market. Since their launch in 1945, they have pioneered deep textured luxury fabrics and novel colour combinations. Sam talks about the importance of Research and Development (R&D) for Tibor, and how they are creating new […]
We interviewed Han Ates of Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, an innovative community-based manufacturer producing high-end crafted denim garments in East London. Han talks about how Research & Development (R&D) can help them to create the first environmentally sustainable denim washing lab in London. Blackhorse Lane Ateliers is a recipient of one of ten awards given as […]
We interviewed Kresse Wesling of Elvis & Kresse, a company which rescues material that would otherwise go to landfill, transforms it into sustainable luxury accessories, and donates 50% of its profits to charity. Kresse talks about the the benefit of having academic expertise to overcome the challenges brought by complex Research and Development (R&D) projects. […]
The Companies We have awarded over £1.2 million to 10 of the UK fashion industry’s most innovative and sustainable brands. From over 80 applications, 13 were shortlisted and provided with one-to-one mentoring, business workshops and training to help develop their initial concepts into fully fledged business plans. The shortlisted businesses then had to pitch their […]
The British Fashion Council announced this week the first round of recipients of the BFC Foundation Fashion Fund, supporting creative fashion businesses and individuals to survive the Covid-19 crisis. Financial support will be given to 37 British designer businesses for a total awarded amount of £1m, which is allocated to viable businesses depending on their […]
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £20 million in innovation projects to respond to new and urgent needs in UK and global communities during and following the Covid-19 pandemic. The SME Programme Team have put together some guidelines for companies intending to apply. Projects must address a societal […]
We recognise that this is a challenging time for small and large companies, their staff and all self-employed professionals working in the fashion, textiles and technology sector. If you have been affected by the current coronavirus outbreak, you might find useful to refer to the following sources of information on how to mitigate the impact […]
Ten R&D projects have been selected to receive over £1.2 million of funding plus a comprehensive package of support. This includes mentoring from a leading academic, delivery support from a postdoctoral researcher (or equivalent expertise), as well as ongoing project management and strategic business support from the BFTT team. The awarded projects cover a […]
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, has opened a new £25m fund to support game-changing and commercially viable innovative or disruptive R&D. Applications can come from any area of technology and be applied to any part of the economy, such as but not exclusively: the arts, design and media; creative industries, science or […]
This is an exciting opportunity for a post-doctoral researcher (or equivalent experience) to support the delivery of Challenge 3: Design Models and Business Models for Sustainable Fashion Practices of the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology Partnership. This challenge focuses on the development of design models and business models, relating to specific fashion products, services and […]
Twelve months after its launch in October 2019, the Creative Industries Clusters Programme has grown significantly through the commitment of significant resources from industry partners in addition to our funding. Each of the nine clusters has been hard at work, bringing together some of the finest creatives in fashion, film and television, informatics, design, computer […]
McKinsey, in partnership with The Business of Fashion (BoF), has just released their latest report on the industry, The State of Fashion 2020. This report analyses major themes around the fashion economy and breaks new ground to explain the dynamics driving the industry. These are some of its key findings. Prevailing mood in the industry […]
UAL researcher Dino Dinoulis presented the poster ‘Reimagining the Customer and Retail Experience’ at the Beyond Conference, Edinburgh, 20-21 November 2019. Click on the image below to access the poster. Dino’s research is part of Challenge 4 of the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology project. […]
We have received over 700 responses to our survey of the fashion, textiles and technology ecosystem. We are very grateful to all owners, founders and CEOs from across the UK that have been helping us to highlight the unspoken needs of the sector and to inform the key policy provisions that can sustain its growth […]
The Guardian interviewed Professor Steve Evans (University of Cambridge) about pioneering industries that are creating solutions to reduce environmental harm, but they refrain from publicising their work. Dr Richard Blackburn (University of Leeds) was interviewed by the BBC on the creation of sustainable fibres from high cellulose plant by-products like stalks, stems and leaves. Dr […]
We are pleased to announce the shortlist of the first round of funding of our Support Programme. The programme is designed to support small and medium enterprises in the development of the next generation of products, services and experiences in the fashion, textiles and technology sectors in the UK, with sustainability at their core. We […]
We would like to congratulate our researchers Dr Kate Goldsworthy and Dr Veronika Kapsali for being nominated in this year’s Top 100 Women in Fashion Tech. This list highlights the achievements of women who are making a difference in fashion tech sector. Kate is leading Challenge 5 on synthetic and oil-based material. She is Co-Director of the Centre for […]
The Business of Fashion Textiles & Technology (FTT) Creative R&D Partnership has been funded to enable sustainable growth and innovation in an industry that has not received serious levels of R&D investment in the past. This survey is an important first step in assessing your business R&D needs as well as exploring the barriers and […]
Welcome to the News Page of the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology partnership! We will post updates on the progress of the project across its seven challenges and the SME projects (these from late Autumn 2019). We will also keep you informed in funding or learning opportunities and on how to get engaged to the BFTT project! […]