AW Hainsworth to host Future Fashion Factory visit

The visit will explore how Yorkshire’s long-established textile industry performs among the world’s best thanks to innovation, connectivity, and inclusive support for entrepreneurs.

Future Fashion Factory is hosting the delegates on a visit to one of its partners, AW Hainsworth.

Future Fashion Factory is a £5.4m research programme aimed at supporting innovation in the UK’s fashion and textile industry. It is funded by the Creative Industries Clusters Programme and led by the University of Leeds in partnership with the University of Huddersfield and Royal College of Art.

Run by the seventh generation of the Hainsworth family, AW Hainsworth is still located in its original mill buildings in Stanningley, Leeds.

Delegates from Australia, the US, Denmark, China and Norway will visit the Leeds City Region as part of a prestigious programme led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (MIT-REAP) supports regions in a bid to accelerate economic growth.

Visitors will take part in a tour to discover the innovative products and processes at the heart of a contemporary vertical textile mill, while gaining an insight into Hainsworth Creative Hub – an on-site centre providing support for local fashion entrepreneurs.

Professor Stephen Russell, director of Future Fashion Factory, said: “Yorkshire’s textile industry remains at the forefront of the sector worldwide, driven by innovative solutions to produce high-quality cloth for the world’s biggest brands.”

Adam Hainsworth, director at AW Hainsworth, said: “We’re are excited to host the MIT-REAP visit and to demonstrate the important roles that innovation and connecting with emerging talent and new businesses play within our own business model.”

Graeme Raeburn, performance director of Raeburn Studios, will also speak to delegates about the support that he and his brother, designer Christopher Raeburn, received from AW Hainsworth during the early stages of the business.

Raeburn Studios is dedicated to sustainability and circular economies, one of the central themes of the Future Fashion Factory programme, and still uses AW Hainsworth cloth in its designs.