UK fashion and textile businesses are gaining new access to innovation opportunities through the fast-growing network of Future Fashion Factory.

Future Fashion Factory started in October 2018 with just 10 core partners and three academic centres: the University of Leeds, University of Huddersfield, and Royal College of Art. Leeds City Council and Burberry were among the core partners. UKFT CEO Adam Mansell is the chair of the steering committee for the project, which aims to increase productivity, shrink design process lead times, lower costs, and importantly, reduce waste.

Since then, businesses from young independent designers to major retailers have been keen to get involved, as well as technology and data companies supporting the fashion and textile industry.

Now the programme has surpassed 100 members with the addition of Wyedean Weaving Co Ltd, the West Yorkshire mill which supplies uniform, accoutrements and braid to the UK Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces from its base in Haworth.

Among the recent additions to the Future Fashion Factory community are technology giant IBM, young design brand Cunnington & Sanderson, and Community Clothing, the social enterprise founded by Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant.

Professionals working across the industry are also welcome to become members, as are students and alumni of the three academic centres.

Future Fashion Factory is part of the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, an £80 million initiative led by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of the Industrial Strategy.

Members of Future Fashion Factory receive access to the cutting-edge research being conducted at the three universities, as well as members-only events and networking opportunities, and eligibility to apply for collaborative R&D funding through our innovation funding calls.

The second funding call will open to expressions of interest on 2 September. To find out more about Future Fashion Factory please visit www.futurefashionfactory.org.