Fashion has long relied on the traditional seasonal calendar, but as the reality of the climate emergency becomes clearer, consumers are seeking out designers who embrace the principles of the slow fashion movement. This movement rejects excessive consumerism and the damaging impact it has on our environment.
In line with the slow fashion movement, transeasonal dressing is gaining popularity a more considered approach, as designers may no longer feel tied to the idea of ‘seasonal’ collections. Fast fashion is known for producing mass-produced clothing, quickly and cheaply, with little regard for the environmental impact. Transeasonal dressing, on the other hand, curates a wardrobe that can be worn across seasons and focuses on timeless designs that last longer.
Hainsworth’s woollen fabrics are ideal to form part of a transeasonal collection, due to wool’s balanced thermal insulation properties – meaning it keeps the wearer warm in winter and cool in the summer.
For the 23/24 Live Brief competition, we set a challenge for a new generation of designers to craft a garment representing transeasonal fashion, with a £500 prize at stake. Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Fashion Design and Technology students were assigned to explore various aspects of transeasonal fashion, such as layering, garment longevity, versatility, quality, craftsmanship, style over trends, functionality, and fit.
In June 2024, we had the opportunity to travel to Manchester to judge the students’ final creations. The remarkable pieces showcased at MMU reflect the outstanding skills, creativity, and talent of the students.
The project was a huge success and we were highly impressed with the standard of entries, however, there could only be one winner.
We are pleased to announce that this year’s winner is Gareth Godfrey-Williams (@garethgwstudio).
Gareth’s final garment, made from a Hainsworth Military Lightweight Cavalry Twill, was truly remarkable. We were in awe of the unique construction of his garment which was inspired by the machinery that Gareth took photos of when he and his fellow students visited the mill earlier this year. His attention to detail was second to none. Gareth also demonstrated utmost professionalism throughout the project, a truly deserving and talented winner.
Ivana Noon, Business Development Manager at Hainsworth
Gareth found the brief fun and challenging to work on. His garment was a field jacket, which consisted of:
Our runner-up prize of £200 went to talented student Vivien Li (@by_.vvn).
Vivien’s garment stood out for how unique and adaptable it was; she showed us something that we had never seen before. The garment was made from Vivid Hues Melton; it was a raincoat designed to fold down into a bag. Her clever design demonstrated strong craftsmanship and innovation.
A big thank you to every student who contributed to the project, and a special mention to course tutor Adrian Thornton for guiding us through. It was a pleasure collaborating with MMUFDT once more.