Following an open call for proposals in September 2021, The UAL Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute (FTTI) in partnership with the British Council are pleased to announce five UK and Official Development Assistance (ODA) country SME partnerships. These partnerships will share £100k in funding and business support for sustainable design and production under the New Landscapes: Fashion, Textiles and Technology (FTT) Catalyst R&D Grant […]
Local artisan in Indonesia, image provided to the FTTI by Zoe Powell @ SukkhaCitta
Welcome to our new R&D Project Leads!
In October, we announced the companies participating in the final two cohorts of the SME R&D Programme. We are now delighted to welcome the R&D Project Leads that will support the delivery of the projects. Stephanie Rolph joins Dash & Miller + Jessica Garvey Brich Elizabeth Ciokajlo joins Grady & Robinson + Phoebe English Alice Timmis joins Iinouiio Debbie Bamford joins Keracol + Bulmer […]
Job Opportunity: R&D Project Lead at William Clark & Son
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 […]
Job Opportunities: SME R&D Manager and Coordinator
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. […]
£2.8m Awarded to UK’s Fashion and Textiles SMEs
Following an initial £1.2 million investment in 2020 to 10 of the UK’s leading Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the fashion and textiles industry, we are proud to announce a further £1.1 million funding to thirteen pioneering businesses that place sustainability, innovation and social purpose at the heart of their business model. This new award brings the total investment […]
Job Opportunities: 5x SME Project Leads
The Business of Fashion, Textiles & Technology (BFTT) Partnership is recruiting for five post-doctoral researchers (or industry equivalent experience) to lead on the following projects within the SME R&D Support Programme. The SME project with Dash & Miller aims to deliver R&D around digital textiles to aid design and communication throughout the supply chain. Apply here. […]
Job Opportunities: Post-Doc Researchers at QMUL
Queen Mary University of London is recruiting for one full-time and two part-time Postdoctoral Research Assistants to work under the supervision of Prof. James Busfield and Dr Emiliano Bilotti . The post-holders will be responsible for the main research activities of the R&D project between the Queen Mary University of London and the BFTT Challenge 7 […]
Job Opportunity: BFTT ReWeave R&D Project Lead
This is an exciting opportunity for a Postgraduate or Post-Doctoral Researcher (or equivalent demonstrable industry/research experience) to work as the Research & Development (R&D) Project Lead to facilitate a collaborative project with ReWeave – a woven textile studio based in London and Hastings that has been awarded funding within the BFTT R&D SME Support Programme. The […]
Meet some of the awarded SMEs Founders and CEOs
Hear from a few of the first cohort of BFTT funded SME R&D projects as Founders and CEOs discuss their experience of the bespoke support and mentoring, R&D funding landscape and innovative project development. Elvis & Kresse Doppelhaus Blackhorse Lane Ateliers Tibor Ananas Anam (Piñatex) Anna Glover AWAYTOMARS […]
SME R&D Support Programme – Funding Call Round 3
BFTT SME R&D Programme – Round 3 Booklet The Business of Fashion, Textiles & Technology (BFTT) SME R&D Support Programme is now open for Expressions of Interest (EOI). The fashion, textiles and technology-related sector (FTT) is buoyant, innovative and multidisciplinary, informing many adjacent sectors in the wider industry. Quite literally, spanning agriculture to advertising. This funding call is […]
Elvis & Kresse featured in V&A exhibition ‘Bags: Inside Out’
One of Elvis & Kresse’s creations now features in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Bags: Inside Out exhibition. Elvis & Kresse is a sustainable and ethical brand that rescues raw waste material and transform them into luxury fashion accessories. For over a decade Elvis & Kresse has used damaged decommissioned fire hoses and transform them into […]
AWAYTOMARS | Artificial Intelligence and Co-Creation
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 […]
What Creative Entrepreneurs Need
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 […]
Job Opportunity: R&D Project Lead at UAL/Ananas Anam
This is an exciting opportunity for a post-doctoral researcher (or equivalent experience) to join the BFTT SME Programme and work with Ananas Anam – the developers and manufacturers of Piñatex. The role involves working collaboratively with an Academic Mentor from the Centre for Circular Design at UAL and the Company Lead at Ananas Anam. The […]
Bruno and Raquel from Ananas Anam on the value of R&D
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 […]
Alfredo Orobio on AWAYTOMARS co-creation platform
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 […]
Anna Glover on creating sustainable wallpapers
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 […]
Sam Reich on Tibor’s archival R&D work
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 […]
Han Ates on creating a sustainable denim washing lab
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 […]
Kresse Wesling on the importance of academic expertise
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. […]
£1.2m R&D Funding Awarded to Fashion SMEs
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 […]
Coronavirus: Support for Companies and the Self-Employed
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 […]
Job Opportunity: R&D Project Lead at UAL/AWAYTOMARS
This is an exciting opportunity for a post-doctoral researcher (or equivalent experience) to join the BFTT SME Programme and work with Away to Mars. The successful candidate will work with the management, commercial and R&D teams at AWAYTOMARS, an innovative company looking to disrupt and enrich the creative and design process through their co-creation platform. The […]
Job Opportunity: R&D Project Lead at UAL/Tibor
This is an exciting opportunity for a post-doctoral researcher (or equivalent experience) to join the BFTT SME Programme and work with Tibor. The successful candidate will work with the management, commercial and R&D teams at Tibor Ltd, a company specialising on the design and production of deep textured luxury fabrics for modern interiors. The role also […]
Job Opportunity: R&D Project Lead at UAL/Doppelhaus
This is an exciting opportunity for a post-doctoral researcher (or equivalent experience) to join the BFTT SME Programme and work with Doppelhaus. The successful candidate will work with the management, commercial and R&D teams at Doppelhaus Ltd, a textile company specialising in developing novel non-woven, sustainable fabrics. The role also involves working with research experts […]
Job Opportunity: R&D Project Lead at UAL/Anna Glover
This is an exciting opportunity for a post-doctoral researcher (or equivalent experience) to join the BFTT SME Programme and work with Anna Glover. The successful candidate will work with the management, commercial and R&D teams at Anna Glover Ltd, an award-winning design business specialising in luxury wallpaper, fashion and creative consultancy. The role involves working collaboratively […]
Meet the Shortlisted Companies
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 […]