Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute to pioneer R&D for UK’s £74 billion industry

University of the Arts London (UAL) announces the Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute (FTTI), directed by Professor Jane Harris.

The emergent Institute will build on the university’s pioneering research and development (R&D) in support of the UK’s multi-billion-pound industry through the Industry Strategy-funded Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) Creative R&D Partnership. Hosted by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, BFTT is a partnership between UAL, Loughborough University, University College London, Queen Mary University London, University of Leeds, University of Cambridge, and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute (FTTI) is the first of its kind to incorporate design, STEM, cultural anthropology and business practices. It will deliver sustainable innovation across the entire fashion, textiles and technology (FTT) value chain.

Fashion is estimated to contribute £35 billion to the British economy every year, while £74 billion+ is spent on wider apparel, clothing accessories, household textiles and carpets. This accounts for 890,000 people employed across the UK and £9 billion of export. The FTTI will bring academic excellence and industry expertise together to investigate the most pressing questions, to improve sustainability, drive innovation and address the industry’s currently limited agency, empowering businesses of all sizes to set the national and international R&D agenda.

The FTTI brings together established research centres and hubs, with specialist fields spanning design, STEM and humanities. It will employ a whole-systems approach to challenges including climate change, ethical and working practices, and the circular economy. The Institute’s combination of industry and academic expertise is a pioneering new model for academia, making it uniquely placed to deliver real-world solutions. Recent advances in chemical engineering and technology, such as Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, will be harnessed to drive a more sustainable future.

The Institute will be led and defined by the FTT industry. It will build on the work of the BFTT Creative R&D Partnership, including its recent report, Mapping the UK Fashion, Textiles and Technology Ecosystem. The report is the first comprehensive insight into the UK FTT ecosystem and reveals key barriers to R&D. The Institute’s work will be rooted in this evidence and progress alongside future BFTT reports.

The Institute’s first collaboration has already been announced: New Landscapes: Fashion, Textiles and Technology (FTT) Catalyst R&D Grant Scheme in partnership with the British Council. This pilot programme offers collaborative grants to designers, design entrepreneurs, and businesses from UK and Official Development Assistance countries to support new ideas for a sustainable future.

As a world leader in FTT education, UAL is uniquely positioned to host the FTTI. Comprised of 6 prestigious Colleges and 4 pioneering Institutes, UAL has over 7,500 undergraduate, post graduate and research students from over 85 UG and PG courses in Fashion, Textiles and Technology-related subject fields. Courses span the design of physical product and materials, to specialist business, psychology, and cosmetic science practices. UAL has provided a celebrated, world-leading pipeline of talent for global brands such as Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Bethany Williams, Christopher Kane and Florence Adepoju of MDMFlow cosmetics.

The Institute will be physically based at UAL’s new London College of Fashion campus in Stratford, opening in 2023. Part of the East Bank partnership, FTTI will contribute to UAL’s placemaking and Knowledge Exchange objectives.

The Institute will also strengthen provision for larger-scale research initiatives, including partnerships across the AHRC Creative Industry Cluster Programme (CICP, 2018-23) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).