For the fourth consecutive year, AW Hainsworth is proud to continue its partnership with London College of Fashion, UAL, supporting the next generation of designers as they explore the possibilities of British-made textiles through innovative and experimental fashion.
Each year, the collaboration gives students the opportunity to work with Hainsworth fabrics in new and unexpected ways, demonstrating how traditional craftsmanship and technical textile expertise can provide a foundation for contemporary design.
Our 2025/26 partnership has resulted in six distinctive projects, each with its own story, inspiration and approach to textile design. From performance fabrics transformed through embroidery and manipulation, to intricately woven Jacquards and sculptural tailoring, this year’s collections showcase the remarkable versatility of cloth and the imagination of the students working with it.
In October 2025, we visited the students at their campus in Stratford, London to set them a live brief. We asked them to design their very own cloth from an array of colours and using the expertise of our Design & Product Development Manager, Andrea Noble.
The Hainsworth team then attended London College of Fashion’s Fabric Fair in late October where we met with every student involved in the project to provide feedback and offer technical assistance. Following on from this, we returned to the campus in December to attend each participating student’s final concept presentations where we chose the winning designs.
Bella and Tiana’s designs explore the relationship between fabrication, texture and colour through machine embroidery, Tanaka techniques and fabric manipulation. Inspired by the protective forms of firefighting uniforms, the devastating impact of Brazilian wildfires, and the philosophy of Brazilian Neo-Concretism, the garments reflect themes of resilience, protection and transformation, while celebrating Bella’s dual British-Brazilian heritage.
The collection features our Hainsworth Protective Titan fabric in Tan and Black, alongside our Hainsworth Signature Broadcloth fabric in Tan.
Fay and Pippa’s project draws inspiration from the British folklore of Gog and Magog, reimagining myth, tradition and identity through a contemporary approach to bespoke tailoring. Influenced by the rich heritage of Welsh quilting, the collaboration combines intricate floral embroidery with expertly tailored silhouettes, creating garments that honour traditional techniques while offering a fresh creative perspective.
The embroidered trousers feature our Marble Melange Charcoal fabric, and the quilted and embroidered coat is made using our 100% Merino wool worsted Whipcord Charcoal fabric.
Laal’s project explores the transition from girlhood to womanhood using bespoke jacquard weaving as a language of emotional, physical and psychological transformation. Drawing on the biblical story of Salome, the collection uses layered woven imagery to depict moments of confrontation, desire and rejection. Designed with deliberate ambiguity, the textiles invite the viewer to interpret themes of vulnerability, identity and the complexities of human connection.
The collection features a bespoke worsted double cloth, combining digital artwork with double cloth jacquard design.
Meaghan’s collection is inspired by the simulated band The Visitors, blending painting, textile design and bespoke tailoring to create garments that become part of the performance itself. Designed to be as joyful to wear as they are to look at, each piece combines expressive storytelling with innovative textile techniques, resulting in a collection that is both visually striking and full of character.
The collection features a bespoke worsted double cloth, exploring jacquard double and triple cloth techniques before adding hand-painted highlights.
Toran’s collection draws inspiration from the geometric folds of origami and the transformative qualities of airbrushed colour, reimagining tailoring as a dynamic visual experience. Influenced by artists who manipulate light and physical phenomena, Toran’s work challenges the way we perceive form. Through precise tailoring, strategic colour placement and complex pattern cutting, garments appear to shift, refract and distort, creating striking three-dimensional effects that blur the line between reality and illusion.
The collection features a bespoke worsted double cloth, exploring advanced jacquard double and triple cloth techniques.
Yanenyu and Kuang’s collection reflect on the beauty and complexity of arranged marriages in China during the 1990s, using fashion as a medium for storytelling and cultural reflection. The lily flower, a symbol of pure love, features throughout the collection, while intricate red beadwork represents the emotional sacrifice and hardship experienced by many women. Together, these thoughtful details create garments that are both visually captivating and deeply symbolic.
The collection is crafted using Doeskin White fabric.
Our partnership with London College of Fashion continues to demonstrate what can happen when talented emerging designers are given the freedom to experiment with exceptional textiles.
Across this year’s six projects, Hainsworth fabrics have been embroidered, quilted, manipulated, painted, laser cut and woven into intricate jacquard designs, each project revealing a different side to the cloth and its potential.
For AW Hainsworth, supporting the next generation of designers is an important part of our commitment to craftsmanship, innovation and the future of textiles. It is particularly rewarding to see fabrics made in Yorkshire reimagined through such diverse creative perspectives.
We would like to congratulate all of the students involved in this year’s collaboration and thank London College of Fashion for another inspiring year. It has been a privilege to see our British-made fabrics transformed into such thoughtful and innovative collections, and we look forward to seeing where their creativity takes them next.