 |
The Textile & Fashion Design Incubator at the Textile Centre of Excellence in Huddersfield is a new initiative that will help the region’s brightest textile and fashion designers to start up their own businesses. This unique facility is bringing together the cream of the region’s textile and fashion design talent with the best of our world-class manufacturing companies.
The Textile & Fashion Design Incubator is the result of two years’ work by a partnership including local industry leaders and the region’s universities and colleges. The project has received tremendous backing from the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, the local business support agencies and from Yorkshire Forward, our Regional Development Agency. |
|
Designers currently in
the Incubator: |
|
|  |
|
|
This important new collaboration between higher education and local industry will see the creation of 30 new vibrant design and manufacturing businesses over the next three years, here in the heart of Yorkshire.
New businesses operating in the Design Incubator are eligible to receive training awards to develop their business skills and are offered courses to help them market their products and manage their businesses.
The Design Incubator is part of the umbrella project Textiles Forward in partnership with the Confederation of British Wool Textiles (CBWT) and the Textile Centre of Excellence, funded through Yorkshire Forward with Single Pot and Objective 2 ERDF funds. The activities of the Design Incubator link to the other strands by supporting design graduates within the industry and positioning textiles manufacturing as an exciting and innovative sector. |
|
|
You will need Adobe Reader to view this article. If you don't already have it, click here to download the reader first.
|
After the completion of a 22-week build, Terry Hodgkinson, the chairman of Yorkshire Forward, officially opened the £1m Design Incubator in October 2004. Guest speakers at the launch included Rita Britton, founder of Barnsley store, Pollyanna, Chris Antich of Huddersfield firm, C & J Antich & Sons and Edward Stanners, the chairman of Skillfast UK, the sector skills council for apparel, footwear, textiles and related businesses. |
|
|
|
What’s on offer?
With over 600 square metres of purpose built space adjacent to the Textile Centre of Excellence, the Textile & Fashion Design Incubator has access to all of the Centre’s technical expertise and equipment:
-
Fully equipped clothing studio with cutting table, bonding and pressing equipment, lockstitch, overlocker, embroidery machine, Lectra sizing system and the latest digital print equipment
-
Fabric and yarn workshop equipped with carding, spinning, warping, weaving
-
Practical help for fabric and garment construction
-
Textile testing laboratory with fibre, yarn and fabric testing
-
Practical support in the form of a local business mentor |
 |
|
The Textile & Fashion Design Incubator's mezzanine houses two training rooms and a display area. The Incubator ground floor has a meeting room, a fully equipped kitchen area, and a wet room (suitable for dyeing) with washing machine, tumble dryer and bullet steamer. |
|
In the 300 square metre design studio, each incubatee is provided with their own workstation, including ample storage space, a Microsoft XP enabled personal computer with internet connection, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and direct line telephone. |
|
What help is available for my business? |
The Textile Centre of Excellence representatives will introduce incubatees to business support agencies and professional advisers in order to access business grants or support schemes. In addition to these agencies (such as Business Link and the Chamber of Commerce), business advisers are on hand to provide advice and support on all aspects of business start-up including business planning (including cash flow forecasting, survival budgeting), marketing and access to finance.
Independent, professional advice is also freely available from industry representatives on legal, financial, employment and contracting issues.
The business mentors will provide tailored, personal advice, support and practical help as each business grows. |
The Design Incubator is located in an Objective 2 area which facilitates links with a number of other projects including Textile Forward’s ERDF funded support for Strategic Marketing and e-Business Development. Both of these projects offer subsidised consultancy and grant support for new business start-ups in the assisted areas. Other links have been formed with manufacturing skills brokerage offers (for IT skills training) and with the range of services provided by the West Yorkshire Incubation Network. |
|
What does it cost?
 |
Tenancy costs £66 per week (+ VAT) for each business. This includes all of the facilities described above plus practical help from the Centre’s team of expert technicians for product development and initial production. These include a full time technical workshop technician and clothing technician.
Where further skilled technical support is required, the Textile Centre of Excellence has the capacity to buy in technical consultants such as pattern drafting experts and garment technologists. |
|
|
How long can I stay?
Tenancy is for twelve months. |
Sue Taylor
suetaylor@textile-training.com
|
I’m interested – what do I do now?
Talk to us – and to your faculty if you are still at Uni/College. Start preparing your business idea and your plan so we can see how your ideas match up with local companies. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
