Media Release: Fashion industry expert urges Scottish textile companies to grasp global opportunities

KIM Winser, the fashion industry expert credited with turning around brands, including Pringle of Scotland and Agent Provocateur, will urge Scottish textile companies to grasp the opportunities presented by the world’s emerging economies, when she speaks at a symposium in Scotland next week [28 June 2012].

Dr Kim Winser is the keynote speaker at the Scottish Borders Design & Technology Showcase at Heriot-Watt University School of Textiles & Design.

In her speech, entitled ‘The World is not Enough’, Kim Winser is expected to highlight the opportunities and challenges presented by rapidly changing global dynamics. She will point to the phenomenal growth of the urban world as offering potential for future revenue growth and – in particular – the burgeoning wealth of the emerging economies and the development of omni-channel retailing.

Emphasising a message that she first highlighted while CEO at Pringle of Scotland, Kim Winser, a Heriot-Watt Honorary Graduate, said: “I believe there are huge opportunities for Scottish and British fashion companies to achieve success by remaining true to their brands – with customers continuing to engage and reward retailers they respect and trust.”

Aimed at engaging industry in knowledge exchange and innovation across the design, medical and technical textile sectors, the Design & Technology Showcase represents collaboration between the School of Textiles & Design and industry body, South of Scotland Business Solutions (SoSBS).

Attendees at the Showcase are expected to include traditional textile, technical textile and biomedical companies, creative industry and business development agencies including Interface, Scottish Textile Industry Association, academics and researchers.

The showcase and an accompanying book to be published in autumn are also supported by SoSBS and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Scottish Funding Council.

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For more information, interviews or photographs please contact Julie Watt or Giselle Dye at Pagoda PR julie.watt@pagodapr.com/giselle.dye@pagodapr.com; T: 0131 556 0770

Notes to editors

Heriot-Watt University as a photographer covering the event and can supply high resolution images after the Showcase.

PROGRAMME

Scottish Borders Design & Technology Showcase is by invitation only on Thursday 28th June 2012, 1.45pm to 5.30pm

Location: The High Mill, School of Textiles & Design, Heriot-Watt University, Scottish Borders Campus, Galashiels, TD1 3HF

2pm: Johnstons of Elgin Award

Presentation of the inaugural Johnstons of Elgin Awards for Tailoring and Knitwear by James Dracup, Group Managing Director to two third year students.

2.20pm: Guest speaker – Dr Kim Winser

‘The World is not Enough’: global dynamics, the modern business model and the business sweet spot – the opportunities that lie within a company’s DNA and archive.

3-00pm STA(r): research in Action

Professor Dorothy Williams of Robert Gordon University introduces the Scottish Textiles Archive demonstrator where textile design, information management and digitisation technologies are brought together in an interactive multi-media archive.

3.15pm: Design & Technology Showcase

Networking and discussion around a showcase of new technologies including waste elimination, thermo-regulated clothing, psycho, nano and SMART textiles. This is an opportunity to view emerging technologies and discuss potential commercial opportunities with leading researchers from Heriot-Watt and Scottish Academy of Fashion partners, University of Edinburgh and Robert Gordon University.

4.15pm: WRAP

Industry faces a challenge to become sustainable, to adhere to environmental legislation, and – the focus of the WRAP project – to minimise and ultimately eliminate waste from textile manufacturing. Dr Alex Fotheringham of Heriot-Watt talks about the focus of the project and the tools that have been implemented in pilot case studies with Scottish companies.

4.30-5.30pm Networking and discussion

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