#BritishTextileWeek23
This week is #BritishTextileWeek23 from the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), and the theme of this year's week is “where tradition meets innovation”.
As a traditional textiles town many of us in Langholm think of the textiles industry as the large bustling mills of the past which often employed multiple generations of the same families and offered a career for life. These days many of the large scale textile employers have left the town and those still working in the textiles industry have had to innovate to keep up with new technologies and changes in customer demand and priorities. These smaller scale producers have brought a new lease of life to the industry and Langholm is seeing a real resurgence in high quality fibre and textile production.
This change in industry means that a wide range of skills are required to staff these new modernised textile enterprises. Here at Creation Mill we are passionate about sharing the skills and knowledge needed and we work hard to shine a light on the range of career opportunities in the sector.
Heritage skills are still widely used and are an important part of the industry today. Weaving, darning and dying are all still used by the businesses that work in Langholm. We have great links with the industry in the town and together provide valuable work experience placements and educational activities to introduce such skills to children and young people who are no longer exposed to these kind of skills as part of their regular education.
Although many of the traditional hand skills are the same, technology is now a key feature of the textiles industry and this opens up textiles to those who may not have associated their skills and interests with this sector in the past. Our Young Persons Coordinator, Anna has enjoyed working with secondary school children this year, talking to them about all aspects of the industry from fashion design to finance and marketing. The students have had an opportunity to explore new creative methods of production such as using digital design software, creating patterns to produce one of a kind fabrics.
As the textile industry in Langholm diversifies there has been a shift from large scale manufacturing to smaller scale bespoke producers creating high end products for customers who are interested in the process, heritage and sustainability of the fibres and fabrics. This shift has identified a market which requires workers who are able to tell the story of a product.
Check out some of the Textiles companies that we work alongside here in Langholm, all with a fantastic story to tell! (Click on the bold lettering to find out more)
Drove Weavers - Craft locally woven fabrics
FTS Dyers - Specialist yarn dyers
Elliots Shed - Woven crafts from the Scottish border lands
Yarns to Yearn for - Yarns and Tartans
Roses Wardrobe - Vintage inspired clothing and accessories
Hebbs Alpacas - Alpaca Fibres, yarns and accessories
Burnfoot Wool - Yarn and accessories from sheep reared in the ewes valley
We are excited to see the continuing innovation and expansion of the textiles industry in Langholm and support young people and career changers to consider a future in this exciting field.
To find out more about Creation Mills educational offers please do get in touch!
To Read more about the UK Fashion and Textile Association and their #BritishTextileWeek23 campaign - visit their website HERE or follow the hashtag.
