UKFT is launching a new campaign to showcase the innovation, heritage and sustainability of the UK textiles industry with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT), Scottish Development International (SDI), The Clothworkers’ Company and Campaign for Wool. The UK is on an ambitious journey towards a circular fashion and textiles system.
UK industry and researchers are co-creating innovations along the entire supply chain, pushing boundaries to create a planet and people-positive future. The campaign focuses on five key themes: sustainability, durability, creativity, authenticity and innovation, UKFT said.
The UK, with its expertise in natural fibres, is leading on global land stewardship programmes, ensuring well-being of animals at the source of our fibres and protecting the environments in which they live. Active collaborations are delivering climate-resilient farming systems, delivering sustainable and ethical raw materials with positive impact. At Première Vision, one can learn more about UK mills and manufacturers including Samuel Tweed, which are weaving luxury mohair fabrics with RMS certification, through to Marton Mills and its new Leathley range of woven fabrics that champion local manufacturing.
UK mills and manufacturers create high performing textiles that are durable, designed to be repairable, reused and recycled, ensuring they are long lived and long loved. At Première Vision, one can meet companies such as Halley Stevensons, a world-leading waxed cotton innovator, which specialises in weatherproofed apparel and luggage fabrics. One of its latest innovations is the Everwax range of sustainable fabrics and finishes. This innovative set of fabrics explores the re-purposes of ‘waste’ by-products and continues to push the boundaries for more sustainable products- evermore ensuring great protection from the elements. British Millerain has made exciting progress in 2022, with the launch of a 100 per cent natural wax derived from sustainable vegetable sources (rECOver Wax 6).
The UK is celebrated for its design-led thinking and our unconventional approach often makes the unthinkable possible. At this edition of Première Vision, the UK’s textile designers including Bella Tela, Mirjam Rouden, Design Union and Now Studio are unveiling some of their latest innovative and inspiring collections for fashion and interiors.
The UK is home to some of the world’s oldest textile manufacturers, with skills built up over generations. They are working together with new creatives to find new ways to excite luxury brands and designers with prestigious fabrics, niche production and specialist techniques. This year, flannel specialist Fox Brothers is celebrating its 250th anniversary, while Harris Tweed Hebrides is on hand to outline its vast range of traditional and contemporary designs.
The UK has developed science-based innovations driving planet-positive processes, engineering natural solutions to man-made problems. The participants can discover the latest updates from UK firms including Ananas Anam, a certified B-Corporation responsible for developing innovative plant-based textiles like Piñatex, and breaking barriers in the world of fashion materials to lead the way in sustainability.
