Skip to main content
Story

Meet: Gabrielle Shiner-Hill, the new President of the Enterprising Alumni Association

Alumni Enterprising President Gaby
  • Written byGiada Maestra
  • Published date 05 January 2023
Alumni Enterprising President Gaby
Gabrielle Shiner-Hill | Photo courtesy of University of the Arts London

Gabrielle Shiner-Hill

BA Textile Design, Central Saint Martins (CSM)

We’re delighted to announce the new President of the Enterprising Alumni Association: Gabrielle Shiner-Hill.

"I’m excited to be taking over as President of the Enterprising Alumni Association and would like to thank my predecessor Mark Shickle for his work building the association. From talking to our members at our last few meet-ups it is clear that our network is so broad and varied and that there is a real drive for collaboration and connection, this really is our strength as UAL Alumni. I’m ready to listen to suggestions from members about how they would like to see the association develop and I look forward to seeing us grow this year. Feel free to contact me directly at gabby@shinerhilldesign.com or come and say hi at the next event".

The Enterprising Association connects creative graduates from across the UAL Colleges who are freelance, founders, business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anything in between. Make sure you sign up for the mailing list so you can connect to this dynamic network.

I started my course in 1998 and graduated in 2001, I specialised in weaving and spent 2 years of my degree working on the dobby looms at Southampton Row. It was very much learning by doing, yarn selection, dyeing, warping, weaving then finishing. At the time I honestly didn't realise how lucky I was to learn weaving from such fantastic tutors and technicians. I look back on my time at CSM as formative as getting the chance to use the textile design software Pointcarre paved the way for the next 20 years of my career.

In 2002 I moved to New York and trained fashion companies on Pointcarre. This also involved travelling all over the States helping mills convert their design and weaving process to a digital workflow. From there I went to work for suppliers focusing on design and manufacturing and I was the Design Manager at a large UK-based supplier. In 2016 I set up my consultancy, shinerhilldesign with a focus on responsible fabric sourcing for independent brands.

At the same time, I moved into teaching and was Course Leader on the BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Brand Management Course at Ravensbourne University London, again with a focus on responsible sourcing. I led trips to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh so the students could visit textile mills and garment makers, giving them first-hand experience with the supply chain and some insight into how many people are really involved in making a garment.

In 2021 my business partner and I formed our new company Bureau 555 working across the UK and Bangladesh. We believe in digital accessibility and inclusivity throughout the supply chain. We are on a mission to empower manufacturers and factories by making 3D product creation easy. We enable manufacturers to eliminate waste by creating true-to-life digital materials for use in 3D software.

I was interested to work at the UAL Enterprising Alumni Association as I know how daunting it can be to enter the industry after graduating. Having events you can go to where you can hear how people have tried (and possibly failed) yet still succeeded is so important. Also, as I have been mentoring UAL students for the last 6 years, I know the fantastic talent pool of our alumni and I am looking forward to hearing about, promoting, and being inspired by their journeys.

Related content