Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
New creative business hub for Leeds launched
The Creative, Fashion and Textile Hub was launched at an event at the historic Hainsworth Mill on Wednesday 21 September. The Hub space within the mill has been newly-converted to create an attractive, creative working environment for members.
The partnership developed after Adam Hainsworth, Company Director for AW Hainsworth, spoke about how innovation helped the company become a leading competitor at an Innovation Network Event hosted by Leeds Beckett University and The Yorkshire Post last November. The Hub has been set up in response to AW Hainsworth’s commitment to support education and enterprise and Leeds Beckett University’s support of new and growing businesses. It will help to support and sustain business growth by providing a collaborative space for those building businesses in the creative, fashion and textile industries, alongside expert mentoring, business training and networking services via Leeds Beckett’s Enterprise and Innovation Hub.
Speaking at the launch event were Simon Brereton, Acting Head of Economic Policy and Sector Development at Leeds City Council, Adam Hainsworth, Company Director at AW Hainsworth, and Simon Baldwin, Acting Head of Enterprise at Leeds Beckett University. In attendance were students and staff of Leeds Beckett University and Leeds College of Art, local Council leaders, members of the Fashion Development Steering Group and West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, and creative, fashion and textile business owners from across the region.
Simon Brereton commented: “I think the new Hub is amazing; AW Hainsworth is one of the oldest companies in Leeds and its relationship with the Council goes back a long way. Their commitment to the Stanningley area of Leeds is very strong: they are very committed to thinking about how they can help their local community. Whilst a lot of our work goes into very high-tech digital areas, manufacturing, particularly design-led manufacturing, has a lot of opportunities. AW Hainsworth fabric is of the best quality in the world, going into the best clothes in the world. Working alongside new creative talent, they can produce something distinctively from Leeds and at the highest quality; so I hope that those joining the Hub will be inspired by Hainsworth and that Hainsworth will find new ideas and ways of doing things through them.”
The Creative, Fashion and Textile Hub offers members the opportunity to work alongside, and take inspiration from, fellow creative entrepreneurs whilst having exclusive opportunity to purchase AW Hainsworth’s quality textiles and cloths. The full service costs from £160 + VAT per month, but half price membership for the first three months is currently on offer for anyone applying before the end of 2016.
Included in the price includes: a dedicated desk available from 7am to 7pm daily, a flexible rolling monthly contract, the opportunity to register a business at AW Hainsworth or the Enterprise and Innovation Hub’s city centre address, access to free networking events, expert mentoring, free access to the Enterprise and Innovation Hub’s business training programme, and a year’s free membership of the Leeds, West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce. Hub members can also access a behind-the-scenes tour of the historic AW Hainsworth’s mill.
Speaking at the launch event, Adam Hainsworth said: “We don’t know yet what is going to be created within the Hub, but I’m sure there will be some great synergies: us to help them in their new businesses and them to contribute to ours. It is all very positive and we are delighted to be part of this new venture with Leeds Beckett University. The cultivation of the next generation of creative talent is hugely important to the region and the creative industries. To be able to play a part in supporting new creative talent alongside such a well-respected organisation is hugely exciting and rewarding for AW Hainsworth. We are looking forward to seeing how the talent develops.”
Simon Baldwin added: “We’ve been working with AW Hainsworth for about a year now to establish the new Hub. The challenge we had was to identify how our University could add value to what they do so well. Fairly quickly we recognised that an opportunity existed to build on our very successful business incubation centres, which currently support over 200 new business to establish themselves and grow, and link this to the manufacturing site at AW Hainsworth. The new and innovative businesses we will support here will link into the supply chain of AW Hainsworth around textiles, fashion, and digital technologies which in turn will help AW Hainsworth to innovate. We have very successful fashion courses at Leeds Beckett which produce newly qualified and energised graduates; and this new facility provides a viable option for our students to consider establishing their own business in partnership with Leeds Beckett University and AW Hainsworth.”
AW Hainsworth has been an unrivalled market leader for 230 years. Hainsworth fabric has clothed royalty and the military for full-dress ceremonial occasions and has embellished and enriched the furnishings of palaces across the world. Their product range includes fabrics for the fashion, interiors, PPE and Retail markets among many others.