Members of the Future Fashion Factory community contributed to a unique virtual reality showroom as part of the programme’s Virtual Showcase.
The virtual showroom contains outfits made with fabric from Yorkshire’s renowned mills or by design brands based in the region. Each outfit is accompanied by a caption naming the designer, as well as information about where the garments were made or their materials.
Users can navigate around the three rooms by clicking and dragging across the space, and clicking on the tags above each item to see the captions and to zoom in or watch 360-degree rotating images of the outfits.
Among the designers listed are all three prize recipients from our Zero Waste Fashion Competition last summer: Upcycle Fashion, Wanner Label, and Cunnington & Sanderson.
Both Upcycle Fashion and Wanner Label contributed outfits made from entirely upcycled materials, including a 100% wool fabric sampler from Holmfirth mill Bower Roebuck as well as a poncho and even a tablecloth.
A number of outfits also include recycled materials, such as Leeds-based Cut & Pin’s recycled cashmere cardigan accompanied by a hoodie and jogging pants made with organic cotton and deadstock. Two outfits are made in recycled wool from new Yorkshire business Iinouiio – a jumper designed and made by Jennifer Koch, and a tailored jacket by Lee Hurst.
Lee and Jennifer are among the graduates of the Royal College of Art who collaborated with Yorkshire mills on unique pieces as part of a project celebrating Campaign for Wool’s Wool Week in 2020. Yvonne Lim and Shaonan Xu, the duo behind new luxury brand The Array, who worked with Joshua Ellis lambswool as part of that project, have chosen a beautiful trench coat made in wool from Leeds mill AW Hainsworth to contribute to this showroom.
Silsden-based designers Cunnington & Sanderson, meanwhile, have chosen to showcase an outfit in a linen and wool mix from Guiseley’s Abraham Moon & Sons, and a completely new dress made from 100% woollen cloth designed by Bradford’s Salt Weave Studio.
Nomad Atelier, the Barnsley design brand led by Rita Britton, has contributed a long jacket and trousers in wool gabardine from Bradford’s Bateman & Ogden, while a stunning ensemble from Anita Massarella Design Couture features a full-length silk and silk tulle skirt and a jacket in 100% cashmere from Joshua Ellis in Batley, finished with chantilly lace and all handmade at Anita Massarella’s atelier in Leeds.
And AVIE, the brand established by Sonya Bachra-Byrne near Bradford, has contributed a beautifully patterned Gramercy dress designed and made in Yorkshire.
Created in partnership with BrandLab 360, the showroom was first unveiled at Future Fashion Factory’s Virtual Showcase last week (15 April). BrandLab 360 Co-Founder Dan O’Connell spoke on the panel ‘Digital Fabrics and Fashions’ about the company’s approach and walked the audience through the showroom during his presentation.
The full list of design brands including in the showroom included:
- Anita Massarella Design Couture
- AVIE
- Cunnington & Sanderson
- Cut & Pin
- Jennifer Koch
- Lee Hurst
- Nomad Atelier
- The Array
- Upcycle Fashion
- Wanner Label
Among the Yorkshire mills represented in the collection:
- AW Hainsworth & Sons
- Abraham Moon & Sons
- Bateman & Ogden
- Bower Roebuck
- Iinouiio
- Joshua Ellis
- Salt Weave Studio
We would like to thank all the designers who have contributed outfits to this virtual showroom.
