“This year we were delighted to partner with luxury British textile manufacturer AW Hainsworth & Sons who collaborated with three of our final year students, to weave and finish a bespoke length of Fine Merino Double cloth to the students’ individual jacquard designs, which they have incorporated into their collections.”
Daniel Poulson, BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring Course Leader, London College of Fashion
Last September, we set the final year BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring students at London College of Fashion (LCF) a brief to design their very own bespoke jacquard cloth, made of a Fine Merino Double cloth quality. The winning students would have the opportunity to have their designs woven at the Hainsworth Mill in Yorkshire, and then used to create beautiful garments.
Read on to find out more about our collaboration and see how the students created these beautiful garments, which they recently showcased as part of their final collection.
Image credits: end of page
The Jacquard Loom: A Revolutionary Tool in Weaving
When working with a Jacquard loom, the textile designer’s expertise is crucial. From selecting yarns to balancing different weave structures, to minimizing fabric waste by determining the size of a repeat pattern, the designer’s skill is essential to producing high-quality fabrics. Throughout the project, our wonderful Textile Designer, Andrea Noble, was on hand to assist the students in converting their original designs into weavable patterns.
The Project: Designing a Bespoke Jacquard Cloth
In September 2022, we visited the students at their campus in London to set them a live brief. We asked them to design their very own 100% Merino Wool bespoke jacquard cloth from a colour palette of 5 yarns; Natural (Wool White), Tree Bark (khaki), Tan, Black, and Fuchsia. The cloth would have a soft raised finish and weigh 400-420gsm.
The winning design would show evidence of originality, quality and craftsmanship whilst taking a sustainability-led approach in line with our slow fashion values. To achieve this, students must consider how they minimize waste, evaluate the commercial viability of the garment, and create a design with the ‘wow’ factor.
After receiving their brief, the participating students began crafting their custom cloth designs.
The Hainsworth Team then visited the London College of Fashion’s Fabric Fair in October 2022, and during our visit, we took the opportunity to meet with each student partaking in the project to provide them with feedback on their designs, as well as offer some technical support.
Following up on this, we returned to the campus the following month to attend their final design concept presentations.
Congratulations to our three Winners
Although all the student’s submissions were of an exceptionally high standard, we selected three winners who really stood out; congratulations to Gabriella Mann, Onora Menekse, and Enya Judge!
“We were so impressed by all the students who submitted for our brief, but Gabriella, Onora and Enya stood out for their striking designs, story-telling, and a strong understanding of how a jacquard weave can be incorporated into modern, refined tailoring.”
Andrea Noble, Design and Product Development Manager
“For Gabriella, what really stood out to us was her innovation and flare while giving full consideration to tailoring and cut. She had a clear vision on her final garment from the initial concept stage and communicated this to us with clarity and passion. Her final garment using our jacquard fabric is very polished and has wide commercial appeal.”
“We really appreciated Enya’s use of pattern to create a design that is monochromatic, sophisticated and understated. Her hand-painted design works so well with the embellishments and garment silhouette. The strength of her research allowed us to buy into her concept early in the process, and it was lovely to see this develop into a full collection.”
“Onora’s theme around nationality and culture lead to a design that was energetic, layered and meaningful. The large scale collage composition utilises the capability of our facilities and expertise to create a unique, personal and carefully considered collection of garments which capture family and cultural aspects beautifully.”
Enya, Gabriella and Onora travelled to Leeds to visit us at the Hainsworth Mill earlier this year, to see their designs being woven on our Jacquard looms. They were accompanied by Daniel Poulson (Course Leader), Alex Hall (Lecturer) and Magdalena Handwerker (Lecturer and Head Ladieswear Cutter at Huntsman). It was a delight to welcome the BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring students and staff to the mill.
After weaving and finishing their custom fabric, the students utilized their unique designs to craft a stunning collection of garments, which were later showcased at their end-of-year live salon show.
Celebrating the students’ work at The Salon Show
The Hainsworth team were delighted to join the entire BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring course for their live salon show which took place at Protein Studios in Shoreditch, London on 11 July 2023. We would like to extend a huge congratulations to Enya, Gabriella, Onora, and all the talented students who presented their incredible work.
A collaboration that embraces craftsmanship and innovation
Hainsworth is honoured to collaborate with LCF BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring; the only course of its kind in the UK. Matching our values of craftsmanship and innovation, we have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with such talented, forward-thinking students. We couldn’t be more proud of the work they have produced and we look forward to following their journeys as they enter industry.
Charlotte Law, Marketing Manager at AW Hainsworth
Thank you to all involved in this collaboration, and a special mention to Course leader Daniel Poulson for making this collaboration successful. Hainsworth looks forward to continuing our partnership with BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring and meeting the next cohort of skilled tailors in the upcoming academic year.
Image Credits
Designs @gabriella.mann.tailoring @hamidie_threads @enya_judge
Photography @jamesrees
Creative Director @robunett
Makeup by @kirsty_gaston using @suqqu_europe and @malinandgoetz
Hair by @ezove using @theouai
Models @bodylondon_
Course Leader Daniel Poulson @danielblakelondon
@lcfbespoketailoring