Scottish Textile News
Textile Scotland attended the official opening of The Centre of Excellence in Textiles in Hawick earlier this month, with Fergus Ewing, the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy. The centre, based in Hawick High School, has been developed to help address business critical skills issues in the textiles and knitwear sector in the Scottish Borders.
The first trainees are learning about hand finishing and machine skills to support skills demand for local textiles businesses. The growth and capacity of businesses has been curtailed by access to a skilled workforce as demand for Scottish Textiles worldwide increases.
The project is supported by a £610,000 government grant and championed by Skills Development Scotland. By working closely, the project partners and industry representatives want to ensure that the training provided through the Centre of Excellence is absolutely focused on delivering what the businesses need and provide apprenticeship opportunities to help people get long term employment within this growing sector.
Clive Brown, sales director of Hawick-based Barrie Knitwear, which is supporting and assisting training alongside Johnstons of Elgin, said: “The industry as a whole in the Scottish Borders is right behind this project, which will help provide school leavers and the unemployed with the basic skills across a range of areas to help them get jobs in the sector, as well as support existing employees with developing their skills further, including in leadership and management.
“Knitwear and textiles have moved on significantly in recent years and many of the businesses in the Scottish Borders are growing and need to bring new people into the industry. This is a fantastic opportunity for people to take the first step towards an exciting new career.”
Following the official opening, Fergus Ewing had a closed meeting with textile industry heads, Textile Scotland and Scottish Enterprise to hear their global aspirations and address their concerns for the textile sector.
Textile Scotland, part of UKFT, is currently developing a Scottish manufacturing skills strategy to support the wider textile industry in achieving their skilled workforce ambitions.
For more, and ongoing news regarding our work in skills please see here.
Two Scottish textile manufacturers have won prestigious business awards in the same week, underlining the value of small-scale textiles businesses to the Scottish economy.
Digital fabric printer BeFab Be Creative won Scottish Small Business of the year at the Scottish SME Business Awards, while small batch producer Kalopsia Collective won Scottish Manufacturer of the year at the Business Insider Made in Scotland Awards.
At the heart of their business models, both BeFab Be Creative and Kalopsia, long-time collaborators, have small batch production, accessible manufacturing and the circular economy which promotes ethical and sustainable manufacturing process to help reduce waste.
Run by sisters Solli and Zoë Brodie (pictured above), BeFab Be Creative offers high-end digital fabric printing with minimums of just 50cm onto silk, British woven linen, and cotton for both custom printing as well as a range of 160 fabric designs from 12 talented British designers. The studio serves clients including Screen Scotland, The National Galleries, and Zandra Rhodes, as well as having printed suit linings for the likes of Samuel L. Jackson and the Phelps twins, of Harry Potter fame. It was established in 2012 with the intention of making high-end digital fabric printing as accessible for small designer-makers and interior designers as it is for larger brands.
Kalopsia Collective, which was also nominated for a number of other awards this year including Commercial business of the year and the Social Entrepreneur Award, offer white label, batch accessories and apparel manufacturing service “assemble” which makes ordering textiles products easier for their clients while reducing environmental impact. Kalopsia’s Clients include the V&A Dundee, Bauhaus, Creative Scotland and Kitty MacCall. Kalopsia Collective's Nina Falk and Adam Robertson are pictured at the the Made in Scotland awards below.
“Our ambition is to create for longevity, not landfill,” said director Solii Brodie, BeFab Be Creative. “We chose to work with reactive digital printing when we set up BeFab, as this has the best rub and light fastness on natural fabrics, which is important to us as we aim to help our designers create heirloom pieces, products and garments which will stand the test of time.
“At BeFab we aspire to put the same care an attention into the printing of our designers’ work, as they do into the creation of it. We work hard to make sure that every designer or artist we work with feels valued, whatever size their order is.”
Kalopsia Collective managing director Adam Robertson added: “Our aim is to raise awareness of ethical and sustainable textiles, including recycling all fabric cuttings and work closely with designers to ensure they are using products with the minimum environmental impact which our innovative ‘Assemble’ model has allowed us to do.”
Textile Scotland attended the National Economic Forum earlier this month to hear the Scottish government’s ambitions for Scottish exports, as part of plans to redevelop the association’s export strategy.
Exports were identified as a key priority for Textile Scotland, when it became part of UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) at the start of this year. The association is now starting to develop its strategy in light of the Scottish government’s ambitions for exporting from Scotland.
Launching the export plan in Edinburgh on 1st May, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Scottish economy growth rate has overtaken the UK.
“The target that we have adopted of exports accounting for 25% of our GDP in 10 years' time is both important and also ambitious,” she said.
“It would also be a very beneficial change. It would add more than 2% to the size of our economy and create in the region of 17,000 jobs.
“As a result of that, it would increase annual tax take – the money we can invest in public services and infrastructure – by an estimated £500 million a year.”
The proposals include around £20m of additional funding and support made available over the next three years. The additional fund would “target that support much more effectively than arguably we have before”, she said. It would be used to expand Scotland's international presence, trebling the number of trade envoys from four to 12 and helping companies grow existing exports and enter new markets.
Speaking to business delegates, she added: “All of us can play our part in helping our existing exporters to become even more successful and in encouraging new success stories to come into being.
“By doing so, we can ensure that internationalisation is a success story for Scotland's future as well as something that we continue to be proud of about Scotland's past and our heritage.”
Responding to the announcement, CBI Scotland director Tracy Black said: "Scotland has a proud exporting history yet we haven't kept pace with the progress made by other similar sized countries.
"To achieve the ambitious aim of boosting Scottish exports to 25% of our GDP by 2029, we need to ensure that existing resources are used as effectively as possible and to maintain a strong partnership between business, government and other stakeholders.”
Following recent consultation with textile industry leaders it was found the sector has aspirations for Scottish textiles to become synonymous with luxury, quality and innovation worldwide.
In response to this consultation and the launch of ‘A Trading Nation,’ Textiles Scotland, part of UKFT, is creating an ambitious plan to support the Scottish textile industry, enabling the sector to achieve its goals in exporting to the world.
Companies involved in the development include Johnstons of Elgin, Alex Begg, BeYonder, Deryck Walker, the Incorporation of Edinburgh Tailors, Savile Row Bespoke, Creative Scotland, Edinburgh College, Glasgow Clyde College and Heriot Watt University.
Most of the skills are carried out by hand in order to produce a garment that fits precisely to a customer’s requirements. Bespoke tailors and cutters have practical skills in bespoke garment manufacture and pattern construction.
This SVQ is based on the latest National Occupational Standards for Bespoke Cutting & Tailoring (compiled by employers) and is comprised of a mandatory Health and Safety unit supported by industry specific artisan hand craft skills and knowledge with a choice of specialising in either tailoring or cutting as a career path.
“The skills involved in bespoke tailoring cover a wide area of expertise that includes craft, technical, creative and design,” said UKFT skills and training manager John West.
“These skills are vital for the bespoke tailoring industry in Scotland and ultimately have to be employed with great precision, to high standards of excellence and within realistic time constraints. We are delighted that this means training centres in Scotland can now look to be accredited for delivery ready to meet demand from both industry and candidates alike.”
For more information about fashion and textile apprenticeships see here or contact apprenticeships@ukft.org.
Read more about the SVQ in Bespoke Cutting and Tailoring at SCQF level 6 here.
Import Tariffs
The UK government has published details of which imports into the UK would be subject to new import tariffs if the UK leaves the EU under a ‘no deal’ scenario.
This list includes around 80 fashion products including jeans, T-shirts and men’s jackets, and a dozen other products including some gloves, bed linen and table linen. The average tariff rate for these 100 products will be 12%.
Details of the products and the tariff rates by 8 digit HS code can be found below.
UK Import Tariffs in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit
In the event that we leave without a deal almost all fashion and textile products will be able to enter the UK duty free.
If the UK leaves the EU with no deal, you may need to pay different rates of customs duty (tariffs) on imports. These rates would only be applied if the UK were to leave the EU with no deal.
The import tariff schedule is only temporary and would last for 12 months from the date that we leave the EU without a deal.
Northern Ireland
The tariffs on imports would not apply to goods crossing from Ireland into Northern Ireland.
Currently, if the UK leaves the EU with no deal, the UK government would not introduce any new checks or controls on goods at the land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
GSP/GSP+ and EBA
Countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal which currently get duty free access to the UK under GSP/EBA arrangements would not be subject to any import tariff.
Tariffs on Exports to the EU
In the event of a no deal all UK exports to the EU would be subject to a tariff. The average EU tariffs for our sector are 4% for yarn, 8% for fabric and 12% for clothing. Footwear and accessories such as handbags would have different tariffs.
Details of the tariffs that would apply to exports to the EU in the event of a no deal can be found below.
EU Tariff rates in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit
It is not yet clear whether the UK will leave the European Union with or without a deal. We do not currently know what a deal looks like but we do know what ‘no deal’ looks like and HM Government is attempting to prepare companies for that eventuality. UKFT is doing everything it can to make this process easier for fashion and textile exporters (and importers) by posting the most important documents and links here.
Original article here
Textiles Scotland and the University of Strathclyde have been awarded £10K of funding from Interface to explore the use of virtual and augmented reality to improve garment pattern design.
Through a funding call to boost innovation amongst business and academics in the creative industries, Textiles Scotland have collaborated with academics at the University of Strathclyde and successfully secured funding.
Virtual fitting and product customisation
Textiles Scotland and the University of Strathclyde are exploring the use of virtual and augmented reality to collect and analyse consumers’ biometric data and match it to garment patterns. The project will help tailors and bespoke manufacturers to increase efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction by customising clothing, maximising fit, and minimising garment adjustment time; thereby reducing material wastage.
Jaki Love, Director of Textiles Scotland, said:
“Innovation is key to the survival of the industry and this research will provide unique opportunities for our designers and manufacturers to create bespoke products for their customers and reduce waste. Being at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in textiles will put Scotland on the map as the place to source bespoke luxury fashion.”
Danny McMahon, who is leading the project at the university, said:
“The overall aim of the project is to understand people’s sizes and custom-make clothes to that size and shape.”
He added: “It has the potential to eradicate the problem of different store sizes and offers the possibility of moving away from standard sizes. It is about a more individual experience and customers having confidence that the clothes they buy can fit.”
Howell Davies, Sector Engagement Project Manager at Interface, said:
“Funding collaborations like these can bring about really positive solutions to a range of businesses [and] supply chains ... leading to positive impacts on the economy and environment. We’re really excited by these latest projects and look forward to seeing the outcomes.”
A new Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) for bespoke cutting and tailoring has been developed, which aims to preserve the artisan skills required for the production of tailored garments.
UKFT and Textiles Scotland have worked with the industry to develop a qualification which combines the heritage of tailoring training with key production skills and cutting practices.
This month the SQA Accreditation Co-ordination Group (ACG) agreed to approve the SCQF Credit Rating and Qualifications Products for the new SVQ in Bespoke Cutting and Tailoring at SCQF Level 6.
The new SVQ will now be developed and offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority Awarding Body and for the first time in Scotland will provide an overview of the skills, knowledge and behaviours required for the production of tailored garments.
“These skills are vital for the bespoke tailoring industry in Scotland and ultimately have to be employed with great precision, to high standards of excellence and within realistic time constraints.”
For more information about fashion and textile apprenticeships contact apprenticeships@ukft.org.
Our first full year under our new brand name Textiles Scotland was jam-packed with activity.
One of our greatest achievements this year was helping to secure the Textiles Connector funding for the industry, with Scottish Enterprise.
In the Spring we held Trends Masterclasses with Fiona Chautard in Glasgow and in Shetland. Fiona also wrote some thought-provoking blog posts for us. In Shetland we got a chance to travel around the island and meet many inspiring textiles creators.
We continued to organise and operate the Textiles Industry Leadership Group.
In May we partnered with the Advanced Forming Research Centre to discuss how manufacturing technologies can inspire the textiles industry.
Summer saw us host the closing party at XPo North, after taking part in some interesting panel discussions.
We assisted in design development by providing access to WGSN for the industry.
By Autumn we were busy assisting UKFT in the development of a bespoke tailoring qualification for Scotland.
We bid a happy retirement to our CEO, David Breckenridge. Another Trends Masterclass was held in November, this time with Joanne Yeadon.
And of course, we continued to promote our members through our Member of the Moment feature, industry news, Instagram takeovers, Facebook, Twitter, and our much-loved newsletter .
At the end of the year we confirmed a management takeover of Textiles Scotland by UKFT, so 2019 is set to be full of new and interesting experiences!
Textiles Scotland would like to thank our members and supporters for a wonderful year full of creativity, passion, and bright ideas. We wish you all a prosperous and productive 2019!
Here are some 2018 highlights from our members…
2018 has been the biggest year to date for Araminta Campbell. After moving into a new handweaving studio and showroom just off the Shore in Leith, they grew with two new staff members to a team of five.
Araminta Campbell's bespoke tweed and tartan service has continued to expand, with a number of large commissions in 2018. The Fife Arms Hotel tweed and tartan was released to much critical acclaim, and installed across its interiors, furnishings, uniforms and retail products.
Soon to open Fingal, Edinburgh's floating 5 star hotel received their bespoke throws and cushions which have been used in the ship's luxurious cabins.
In the autumn Araminta Campbell released a new Handwoven Signature collection, and topped off a great year by winning £30k at the Scottish EDGE awards in December.
Johnston's of Elgin made their debut at London Fashion Week in February, and returned for a second season in September.
In late 2018, the brand announced they would be opening a flagship store in Edinburgh, in spring 2019. Located on Multrees Walk, Edinburgh’s luxury shopping quarter, the new space will be over two floors and will house womenswear, menswear and homeware collections. Set over 2,000 square feet, the store will open showcasing the Spring Summer 2019 collection.
2018 was a busy and thoroughly enjoyable year at Laura Spring HQ. In February Laura discovered she had been awarded the British Council x HIAP Helsinki designer in residence for 2018. The theme for the residency was ‘Arranging Practice: Proximity, Distance, Instance’ and involved two separate residency periods in the Finnish capital Helsinki during May, August and September where she researched contemporary design practice and our relationship to making, and the objects produced through on-going research into the Finnish weaving technique täkänä.
The culmination of the residency was held during Helsinki Design Week in September where Laura exhibited work produced along with the Finnish designer in residence, Elina Läitinen, at The Design Museum in Helsinki.
July saw the launch of an exciting project working with the Tate to produce a set of exclusive designs that were transformed into a range of accessories for their gift shops.
The award winning Inver restaurant invited us to produce cushions and quilts for their newly opened bothies on the shore of Loch Fyne and we were also invited to produce an exclusive set of A6 notebooks for The British Council Scotland to be given away as gifts to international visitors.
In November, we received our copy of ‘Print/Maker’ the latest book in a series called ‘The Encyclopaedia of Inspiration’ featuring 48 printmakers from around the world including our small studio in Glasgow.
Just in time for Christmas we launched a small collection of new products including an ethical alternative to Christmas wrapping paper – a range of screen-printed knot wraps inspired by the Japanese art of Furoshiki – as well as some popular new fabric storage pots.
Prickly Thistle successfully crowdfunded to #BuildTheMill - a project to bring back tartan manufacturing to the Scottish Highlands, and are now going into Season 2 of the project.
Furthermore, Prickly Thistle have created seven jobs in the textiles industry in the Highland region, and launched a new website at the end of 2018.
Sekers celebrated their 80th Anniversary in 2018. The leading furnishing fabric wholesaler launched their new look website, with new and improved features including E-Binder, image download, quick sample and responsive design.
Wemyss, having celebrated 70 years of trading in 2017, also launched their new website featuring responsive design, improved search function, wonderful imagery and upgraded account area.
Additionally, Sekers Fabrics and Wemyss Weavecraft underwent a management buyout by the current Managing Directors. Ian Tatnell and Ian Worf, the respective MD’s for Sekers & Wemyss, will be equal shareholders in the new company Worell Ltd. Malcolm Moir, who is the majority shareholder of the previous owners Gourdie Ltd, will be retained as Group Non-Executive Chairman to oversee the smooth transition of the deal.
April 2018 saw the launch of the new Alchemy Collection by Bute Fabrics. This had been in the making for 18 months as they wanted to produce something new and exciting with a nod to the history of Bute Fabrics and the renowned signature of colour, texture and performance.
Many customers were invited to offer feedback on fabric swatches throughout the development process, encouraging the Bute Design team with rave reviews from the early stages which was a great boost – this was the first collection to be launched by Bute in 7 years so they wanted to be sure the market loved it from the outset.
The vibrant, colourful range is complemented by an elegant palette of neutral options to cater to every interior environment and is now Bute's top selling fabric alongside their ever popular Tweed.
MYB Textiles have been working on an exciting innovation project for the past 2.5 years with Sara Robertson from the Royal College of Art, Sarah Taylor from Edinburgh Napier University and Mike Stoane Lighting - ‘LIT LACE’ light emitting woven textiles. They have developed fibre optic fabric that can be illuminated after weaving.
Lit Lace had a soft launch at the Light & Building exhibition in Frankfurt in March. It is aimed at Contract and Hospitality customers who are interested in technical textiles that can be used in bars, restaurants and hotels,and also the theatre industry. This is first light-emitting fabric to be woven at the heritage mill and puts Scotland at the forefront of textile innovation.
MYB’s new Collection, JAMIESON, was launched at Heimtextil, Germany in January. A fresh direction for the brand, creating a co-ordinating range of delicate and bold stripes, textural chenille and wool, and matt/shine contrasts in luxuriant colours and weights. Jamieson is a cleaner, crisper modern collection achieved by weaving on a bright white mercerised cotton base.
MYB fabrics featured in many films and TV shows in 2018, including Downtown Abbey, Lincoln, Peaky Blinders, Budapest Hotel, Broadway Empire, Maleficent, Outlander, and Mr Selfridge.
One of MYB’s acclaimed modern lace designs, ‘Fractal’, was featured on the cover of a new book published to celebrate Scottish Design and opening of the new V&A Dundee museum in September. They were also delighted to be highlighted within one of the books chapters, ‘Reinventing Traditions: Textile Heritage and Design Innovation’ and to have fabric on show as part of their permanent design exhibition.
MacNaughton Holdings, Scottish manufacturing company since 1783, has had a year of expansive product development.
The Isle Mill brand launched a new throw collection at the Scottish Interior Show. In May, at the Proposte Exhibition in Como, they expanded their signature wool sateen to 75 colours available ex-stock. At Decorex in London, MacNaughtons launched wider colour ranges to our Orkney boucle, and Crammond Melton range, whilst also launching Islabank, a contemporary collection of Donegals in plains, stripes and neutrals, which is suitable for the contract furnishing market. In January 2019, we will launch our new website.
The House of Edgar brand launched the Hebridean collection at The Scottish Trade Show in January and added new colours to the Clunie and Crail kilt jackets. In April, The House of Edgar also attended The Celtic Showcase in Secausus, New Jersey. The brand have had several notable projects this year, including producing a tartan for The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018, weaving Celtic F.C.’s new club tartan and creating a tartan for The Ministry of Defence.
Mairi Helena launched her new fabric and wallpaper collection ‘Homelands’ at the Scottish Interior Showcase and has enjoyed establishing her designs within the commercial interior sector in particular.
Project highlights include involvement of her wallpapers in a local renovation of a high profile restaurant with rooms in Gullane, as well as the Edinburgh City Chambers Wedding Suite.
In September Mairi exhibited at the very first ‘London Interiors Show’ at Chelsea Harbour Hotel during London Design Week; as well as taking part in Design Central in Cheshire and April Interiors in Cheltenham. She also participated in a first 'Luxe Home Pop Up' in Glasgow together with Scottish brands Gilly Nicholson, Bed Linen and GoldHart.
2019 will see the launch of a new collection of wallpapers, new product as well as an exciting collaboration.
Joanne Yeadon presented her Home Interiors trend predictions and storyboards to the team at Trend Bible for their AW20/21 Home Interiors publication.
Later in the year, in partnership with Textiles Scotland, Joanne hosted her first Trends Masterclass on AW19 Fashion and Interior Textile Trends.
From moving into new premises, set in Royal Deeside, to attending amazing British fairs in Japan - it’s been an fantastic year for Cari & Co.
The start of this journey began in February when a Tokyo based, Japanese buyer and two colleagues visited their riverside studios. They loved the new scarf designs (incorporating hand embroidered buttons) so much that they placed a substantial order. From there they were chosen to attend two British fairs in Japan, specifically to demonstrate the art of embroidery. The fair was a sell out for their products.
Almost simultaneously, Kinloch Anderson approached Cari & Co. to work on a collaboration using their scarf designs with Kinloch Anderson fabrics - coincidentally, both products were being shown at the same Japanese fairs, in Fucuoka and Osaka.
In 2019, they are aiming for more export orders. The Scottish Development Agency are helping to introduce their products into the Nordic and Scandinavian markets, and will be attending trade fairs gaining priority introductions to potential buyers.
In 2018 Malcolm the Weaver published the 3rd in the trilogy of books, The Tide That Stayed Out and The Wind That Never blew. The books are used in primary schools in teaching 4 to 8 year old children about the art of colour, the skill of craft, nature, the environment and sustainability.
Malcolm Campbell also presented the project at The International Society for Sustainable Fashion in London, and The International Rotary Conference in Scarborough.
During 2018, wonderful endorsements for the project have been received from Sir David Attenborough, The LGBT Foundation, and The Dolly Parton Foundation.
The books are currently in 8,000 schools in the UK, thanks to generous sponsorship from sponsors such as Johnstons of Elgin.
Riachi Studio is a contemporary heritage knitwear label dedicated to designing sustainable contemporary luxury cashmere knitwear. Riachi Studio mixes contemporary fashion sensibilities with heritage-quality construction, materials and the savoir-faire of Scottish artisans. The brand has worked with some of the most skilled factories in the Scottish Borders, with whom they have developed a fashion forward capsule cashmere collection.
Riachi Studio proudly presented their first capsule cashmere collection in Paris at the International trade fair Tranoï Womens. In Winter 2018 they launched a cashmere shop live online.
Luxury weavers Alex Begg received a factory visit from Prime Minister Theresa May in April, as part of a day-long tour to hear the views of businesses and families across the breadth of the UK on the one year mark countdown to Brexit.
The tour of the Alex Begg factory came as the UK government announced it would formally begin talks with local partners for a new Growth Deal for Ayrshire. The deal is expected o significantly bolster the region’s economy, create jobs and boost productivity.
Read the highlights from 2017 here.
We are interested to see what 2019 will hold for our innovative and inspiring members, and wish them all the best of luck.
Words by Kimberley White
Scotland Is Now is a new promotional campaign to highlight our small nation's hard work and spirit; and put us on the map as a progressive and innovative country.
Scotland Is Now are looking for 'people stories' and they have enlisted the help of Textiles Scotland to ensure our fabulous sector is well-represented.
They are looking to create 5 'people' films.
View current people films here.
The best of these stories play on Scotland’s key attributes – welcoming, generous of spirit, determined, progressive, innovative, and pioneering.
We are looking for a list of people / companies who can tell great stories that are visually compelling.
Fill in the application form
Textiles Scotland and the industry wish CEO David Breckenridge a happy retirement.
David retires from the helm of Textiles Scotland after over 45 years in the textiles industry, working across the country in a variety of leadership roles.
On behalf of the industry we would like to thank David for his service and wish him health and happiness for the future.
David Breckenridge says:
"After 45 years in the textile industry it is a great wrench to be leaving behind that intense involvement but I am very confident that the sector, despite the many challenges it faces, remains a strong and vibrant component of Scottish economic and cultural life. That confidence is based upon the sheer amount of talent and creativity to be found in all our businesses both large and small and when that is allied to the knowledge and experience gained over many generations it makes for such a compelling proposition.
When I began working all those years ago for my local company, Glen Cree, based in the heart of Galloway, the world was a very different place and I have seen many changes throughout my subsequent working career at Peter MacArthur in Hamilton, as managing director at Alex Begg & Co in Ayr and then latterly as Chief Executive of Textiles Scotland. The industry has evolved over that time and although it may be much smaller than it was I believe that it will continue to prosper. Textiles Scotland will, I know, continue to support its members in every way possible and Jaki and Kym, with the formidable backing of the UK Fashion & Textile Association, will ensure that that the industry's unique place in Scottish life is not forgotten."
Textiles Scotland Director, Jaki Love, commented:
"The wealth of knowledge that David obtained through his many years working in the textile industry was invaluable. He shared this knowledge with me over the last 5 years and also provided a wealth of support for which I am incredibly grateful for. This knowledge also enabled Textiles Scotland to provide support to its 120+ members, be they were small micro businesses or the largest of Scottish manufacturers. David’s awareness that we needed to support those smaller businesses and to challenge and support them to grow so they themselves could be beneficial to the economic development of Scotland was key.
Taking up the gauntlet from David and securing a strong future for our industry is now our immediate goal. Support of the textiles sector is something we continue to strongly lobby the government for. We have strong ambitions for the sector and our focus sits with the industry set strategic goals, namely: Investment, Innovation, Internationalisation, Skills & Leadership. Innovation in particular provides new and transformational opportunities for our sector, whether it be in heritage fashion and interior textiles, medical textiles, wearable tech or aeronautical/automotive textiles. Calls to government to support companies in these transformational opportunities are ongoing – watch this space!"
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