In this recent article in the FT, Scheherazade Danushkhu looks at the worrying demise of skilled craftsmen in Europe as suppliers source more production of luxury goods from Asia.
The Woolmill hopes, in a small way, to fill this gap by offering design students hands-on experience of carding, spinning and weaving. They will be able to take their computer-generated designs from fibre to fabric and understand the practicalities of constructing cloth.
"Europe’s main luxury goods trade bodies will meet next week to sound
the alarm over the erosion of skills in the industry, one of the few in
which the region is a world leader.
At the same time, leading
industry figures have warned that specialist skills – highly valued by
dressmakers, perfumiers and watchmakers – are in danger of being
weakened as suppliers source more production from Asia." Read in full