A series of production and sourcing masterclasses have now been delivered to fashion and textile buying and design students at selected universities, as part of UKFT’s MADE IT scheme.

“I absolutely loved the UKFT talk,” said Olivia Scattergood, a second-year student at the University of Huddersfield. “It related so well to my buying course, and I feel so much more informed about the industry. I made lots of notes and even passed them on to other members of my course because I found the talk so useful.”

The masterclass was “very interesting and very relevant to our course and future in the industry,” said a student from Nottingham Trent University. “It was really informative and up to date with changes happening now,” added another.

For the 2021/2022 MADE IT scheme, UKFT is working with:

• The University of Huddersfield
• Istituto Marangoni
• University of the Arts London
• Nottingham Trent University
• Heriot Watt University

The masterclass aims to promoting the importance of production and sourcing within a rounded fashion education and to highlight the breadth of job opportunities across the supply chain.

Selected students will also receive the opportunity of a two-month paid internship in UK production environments to provide real-life manufacturing and sourcing experience in the UK fashion and textile industry.

The masterclasses were delivered through video conferencing or in-person when possible. This allowed the presentation to be viewed by multiple students from different courses and levels across the schools. In some cases, over 100 students were attending the masterclasses. It also allowed the presentation to be recorded and therefore used by the schools and their students for future reference.

Now the students, as part of their coursework modules, will be generating digital portfolios and writing statements of intent for a chance to win an eight-week funded production-focused placement. UKFT will select the finalists from a university-submitted shortlist and will then work with the students to identify a relevant industry placement that best suits their strengths and career ambitions.

The eight-week internships will take place during the summer of 2022.

At Istituto Marangoni, students will work on a live project with UKFT member and outerwear specialist Mackintosh. The team at Mackintosh have been working closely with the students by providing them with spare materials and existing trimmings along with samples to study for their projects. The students have been extensively researching the brand and learning more about the UK clothing industry in the process. The finalist of the project will secure an internship placement with Mackintosh in the brand’s production facilities and headquarters in Lancashire.

UKFT MADE IT