UKFT’s MADE IT Masterclass at Bucks New University
16/03/2021
UKFT held a production and sourcing masterclass for second-year undergraduate students on the Fashion Design BA (Hons) course at Bucks New University last month (4th February) to provide a better understanding of real-life production and sourcing in industry, and highlight the benefits and opportunities of working with UK manufacturers.
The masterclass is part of UKFT’s MADE IT programme, which sees UKFT delivering a masterclass to students at five universities and offer one student from each participating university a fully financially-supported internship opportunity within a fashion or textile production environment in the UK.
The masterclass at Bucks New University was delivered by Daliah Simble-Hearn, a product lifecycle management consultant who has worked with brands including Jigsaw, Roland Mouret and Chinti and Parker, and Elliott Barlow, UKFT’s manufacturing consultant. The masterclasses would normally be delivered face-to-face but due to the current restrictions, this year’s programme has been delivered online.
Course leader Brigitte Stockton said: “This was an inspiring masterclass that positively extended student awareness of the supply chain, and most importantly, the need for planning and relationship building required when sourcing production to ensure success. Students were enraptured throughout and the content definitely opened up additional conversations and extended their professional awareness.”
Fashion design student Aiman Tileugal said: “The session was especially interesting as it gave a lot of significant information on sourcing, starting with the overall importance of sourcing and continuing with an in depth information on how to build the right sourcing strategy, being prepared to source in the UK, and a lot more.”
Fellow student Karl-Kevin Kljavin added: “I liked the session, because it taught me more how fashion works from the inside.
“The way she explained to us where brands get their materials and manufacturing done, made me aware more of how the business side of fashion works.”
The session gave students an overview of how to build the right sourcing strategy for a business, while helping them to understand and identify the hidden costs attached to sourcing.
It also helped students to understand sourcing terminology used in industry, as well as exploring different options for building a supply chain strategy. It examined various issues around ethical and sustainable sourcing, and presented the business case and opportunities for working with UK manufacturers today.
The masterclass outlined the different areas of specialism of UK manufacturing including knitwear in Scotland; the north of England for wool textile weavers, outerwear and technical textiles; the Midlands for knitwear, jersey and footwear; luxury ready-to-wear and fast fashion in London; silk in the South East; and lingerie from the South Coast and in Yorkshire. It also helped students to understand how to approach manufacturing in the UK, with real-life examples of developing long-standing relationships with suppliers.
MADE IT is a three-year project and UKFT is working with Plymouth College of Art, Winchester School of Art, De Montfort University and Bucks New University and the University of Salford for the 2020-21 academic year.
Find out more about MADE IT here
In addition to the MADE IT programme, UKFT offers a variety of Masterclasses for Academic and Education settings and industry. Find out more below.