Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Brighton
New models of localised manufacture: Topshop
McDougall’s heritage-based research (evidenced in Outputs 1 and 2) underpinned the development of a sustainable ‘Made in Britain’ textile collection for Topshop (2012), forming part of an ongoing body of research exploring how the contemporary renaissance in the textile industry might be sustained and developed. Sales from British woollen mills had risen from £180 million in 2007 to £270 million in 2012; key to this has been design innovation, enhancing forms of visibility and unearthing local manufacturing and production networks. In this context, McDougall’s research explores the use of localised supply chains in the manufacture of woven textiles for apparel, with a view towards investigating the potential to preserve textile knowledge and heritage in the UK. Her research also embraces a comprehensive investigation of UK-based yarn spinners, dyers, weavers and finishers as a means of analysing the various means and methods of manufacturing in the current climate.
Through this research McDougall designed and developed a collection of fabrics that were calibrated against the strengths and capabilities of different manufacturing methods and supply chains. Each was tested through different manufacturing and production processes, with successful designs being put into UK production with total sales of more than 1,198 linear metres worldwide since 2012.
The Topshop collaboration with Dashing Tweeds (McDougall’s company) resulted in a collection of two suits, launched in September 2012 and also shown at the ‘Best of Britannia’ show in Clerkenwell the following month. McDougall’s associated research was presented at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion ‘Close to Home / Made in the UK’ session in the House of Lords (16 March, 2011), detailing her use of UK manufacturers. McDougall was also invited as a panel member at the RITE Conference 2011, a key forum for discussions about UK textiles manufacture and sustainability.
SEE DIGITAL OUTPUT.
