Huntsman x Heriot-Watt University

Huntsman is delighted to announce a new collaboration with Heriot-Watt University and Huddersfield Fine Worsteds, in a project that sees Creative Director and Head Cutter Campbell Carey go back to his roots, as he returns to the college of which he was a student some 25 years ago!

Both Campbell Carey and Ian Milligan, C.E.O. of Huddersfield Fine Worsted studied the same course 10 years apart at the college of textiles, in Galashiels, at The Scottish College of Textiles, the forerunner to Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design. 

Now they reunite in a project that celebrates craftsmanship and bespoke tailoring, in a new design challenge being run as an industry project at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design.

Students working on the project are in the third year of the School’s four-year BA (Hons) Design for Textiles degree, which prepares graduates for careers in fashion and interior textile design industries. Last week Campbell and Ian returned to Heriot-Watt to brief the students on the project. 

“It’s lovely to be working with industry professionals who are graduates of Heriot-Watt University, and for our students to be able to work with people with such a wealth of experience in the industry. The challenge for our students is to design something a bit different. They’ll have to research the market area and think about the customer they’re designing for.”

 – Fiona Pankhurst, Assistant Professor in Woven Textile Design at Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design

The project will task the third-year students to create a new cloth collection, Huddersfield Fine Worsted will produce the winning design in a full 60-metre length, from which Huntsman will create a bespoke garment.  Woollen yarn in 18 melange colours – blends of different coloured fibres – in soft shades of greens, greys and ochre, will be mixed by the students to create the textile design.

 

The winning design will be woven by Huddersfield Fine Worsteds and used by Huntsman as a design in part of our house collection. The project will run during the BA programme’s second semester, from January to April 2023.

 

“Huntsman is passionate about supporting the next generation of talent. This project will give the students a comprehensive insight into the world of textiles and fashion in the luxury market, from inception all the way through to a tangible and commercial product.”

  – Campbell Carey, Huntsman Head Cutter & Creative Director 

 “Our ambition with this project is to give students an insight into the industry. They can get involved in the fabric production side with me, and then see their design showcased in the Huntsman window. In terms of fabric design, I’m looking for a combination of ingenuity, excitement and something fresh."

– Iain Milligan C.E.O. Huddersfield Fine Worsteds

Huddersfield Fine Worsteds has roots as far back as 1532. The company is the only cloth merchant to hold a Royal Warrant to supply cloth to The Royal Household. Knoll Yarns was established in the Yorkshire town of Ilkley in 1978 and exports its yarns worldwide to countries including Australia, Canada, China and Japan.

Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design dates back to 1883, when classes in weaving, dyeing and chemistry were introduced to train workers for the local textiles industry. The School is a centre of excellence in design, with Honorary Graduates including British fashion icon Dame Vivienne Westwood. It is based on Heriot-Watt’s Scottish Borders Campus, which is built around a historic mill in Galashiels, at the heart of Scotland’s luxury textile industry.