Yoox Net-A-Porter Modern Artisan Collection 2022
The race offshore hollowed out the fashion and textile industries in much of Europe, the US and Australia. But if you happen to live there, chances are you've got amazing fashion skills on your doorstep but you just don't realise. While much of the infrastructure has disappeared, the talent is still there. And still coming through.
When Yoox-Net-A-Porter execs visited Dumfries House, Scotland to see how The Prince’s Foundation is working to inspire and upskill young people in the textiles area, they saw an opportunity: to support fashion graduates in luxury, small-batch production and produce a very special collection in the process. They called it the Modern Artisan project.
This week, Clare sits down with Jacqueline Farrell, education director at Dumfries House, and three of the eight participants in this year's Modern Artisan programme - emerging designers Isabelle Pennignton-Edmead, Emma Atherton and Emily Dey.
Who doesn’t love a royal connection? So yes, The Crown, but this is really an Episode about process - how do the clothes we buy get made? What goes into it?
If you can sew, could you do it? This is a lovely listen if you are studying fashion or want to. Or if you’re teaching it. But everyone who sees designer gear only once it reaches the stores, should find this insightful.
THE MODERN ARTISAN PROJECT is a partnership that develops and promotes high-end textile skills among young craftspeople. A group of outstanding students from Italy's Politecnico di Milano design school were chosen to imagine menswear and womenswear collections, which Dumfries House graduates from the United Kingdom were tasked to manufacture after receiving rigorous training. Created with a shared passion for improving the fashion industry's environmental footprint, the pieces are made in small batches using the finest natural silk, cashmere and wool fibers. Profits from every purchase will be donated to support the charitable work of The Prince's Foundation. Shop the collection here.
Yoox Net-A-Porter Modern Artisan Collection 2022
FEATURING…
JAQUELINE FARRELL Education Director for The Prince's Foundation at Dumfries House. A true local, Jacqueline grew up near Dumfries House in Cumnock.
ISABELLE PENNINGTON-EDMEAD is a print-led womenswear designer who studied at Nottingham Trent University and Manchester School of Art.
EMMA ROSE ATHERTON is a University of Chester fashion grad from the Wirral, who has started her own size-inclusive label, EROSA.
EMILY DEY studied Teesside University and interned at MIMA School of Art & Design as a curator before joining the program. Her new label Dey Studios is made to order to reduce waste.
IG @_deystudios
THE DETAILS
Building on 2020’s first collection launch, this year’s YOOX NET-A-PORTER for The Prince’s Foundation capsule achieves a number of new milestones in YOOX NET-A-PORTER’s Infinity sustainability journey. It is the first collection to align 100% with the Infinity Product Guide, its sustainability and circularity design guidelines, and its first ever carbon neutral collection.
The programme and capsule reflect the initiative’s commitment to advance sustainability in luxury fashion and preserve heritage textile skills. They also demonstrate the shared ambition of YOOX NET-A-PORTER and The Prince’s Foundation to preserve the planet for future generations. The Modern Artisan aims to position artisanship as a viable and attractive career path for upcoming generations, equipping them with the skills to help shape a more circular industry. The 10-month paid programme supports eight British and Italian graduates through the end-to-end process of designing, handcrafting, and bringing a more sustainable luxury collection to a global market. During the programme, they were given the opportunity to showcase their work to His Majesty, then The Prince of Wales, at Dumfries House.
Yoox Net-A-Porter Modern Artisan Collection 2022
LINKS & FURTHER READING
DUMFRIES From STEM to heritage craft skills, to architecture and design, science, engineering, horticulture, wellbeing and hospitality Future Textiles, designed to address a skills gap within the UK textile industry and encourage new entrants with relevant vocational skills. The programme is targeted at secondary school pupils alongside community groups and adults wishing to enter the industry. Discover all the education programmes here.
They worked with Italian environmental consultancy Carbonsink to map the footprint and minimise the impact of each garments. Some use zero waste pattern cutting, they’re obviously paying attention to more sustainable materials, this collection debuts product passports (digital IDs). Give back - 50 % of the RRP will be donated to The Prince’s Foundation, to support its training programmes.
DECLINE & FALL The manufacture and export of textiles was once the single most important industry throughout Britain. This market defined the Victorian era, acting as the driving force of the industrial revolution. The question is, what happened? Find out on The.GlobalCircle.com
Reviving the UK's textile industry could help replace fast fashion with homegrown clothes, but there are barriers…
MORE HERE.
SCOTTISH LACE was indeed produced in the 15th century. Lace is amazing. Deep dive on the history of this eye-wateringly meticulous craft here.
PAISLEY is famous for its paisley shawls in silk and cotton (and later in wool), which were copies of the Asian shawls sent by British soldiers serving in India. Via Britannica.
COATES opened in Paisley in the 1820s, merging with VIYELLA in 1986. More here. Read about the building that fell to ruin, long after it was a nightclub in the 80s here. Alas we couldn’t find pics of the actual nightclub though - lost in the mists of time.
