At Huntsman, heritage is not just something we honour – it’s something we evolve. For Autumn 2024, we were proud to continue our longstanding commitment to craftsmanship and innovation through a new collaboration with the London College of Fashion. This exciting partnership with the BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring course aimed to support the next generation of bespoke tailoring talent, while placing a strong emphasis on sustainable practices within luxury fashion. Rooted in shared values of ethical innovation, technical excellence, and forward-thinking design, the collaboration gave second-year students invaluable insight and practical experience in Savile Row bespoke tailoring.

Meet The Winners.

The project tasked students with taking unclaimed and unwanted Huntsman garments, known as ‘porks’ and deconstructing them, before reimagining them into entirely new designs. To enhance the module, students were assigned real-life Huntsman client profiles, for which their new design had to meet an exacting brief. Integrated academic learning with real-world experience offered students access to Huntsman's expertise through workshops, feedback sessions, and hands-on training, including client visits to assess the work as it progressed from sketchbook conceptions to finished garments. 

The Huntsman ‘pork’ product was randomly assigned to students via a ‘pork lottery’ and was complemented by a selection of Huntsman deadstock fabric. Students were encouraged to engage in a fair-trade policy between themselves, swapping necessary cloth where required to ensure there was zero wastage, and no pork product left unused. 

To complete the module, students were required to submit both portfolio work and completed bespoke garments for review. The quality of work was nothing short of exceptional, as notes Huntsman Head Cutter Campbell Carey.

“This year my colleagues and I at Huntsman have been bowled over by the quality of craftsmanship and of creative thinking that the students demonstrated. Huntsman has been around for 175 years, so it’s rare today that we see truly unique and novel ideas in the world of tailoring, but as the students have demonstrated, there is always more to learn and new ways of interpreting style.

Projects such as this are a refreshing way for us to reflect on the future of bespoke craft, whilst acknowledging the hard work and dedication of these makers. I see many bright futures ahead, in the world of tailoring and design for these students.”

This partnership exemplifies what’s possible when heritage and innovation meet. At Huntsman, we believe that the future of bespoke lies in collaboration – by sharing knowledge, opening doors, and championing new voices, we ensure our craft not only survives, but thrives. We look forward to continuing to support the next generation of tailoring talent and working closely with the London College of Fashion to further evolve the art of bespoke.

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Thomas Stival will be joining the firm for a five-week placement, and Kai Moy will be joining us for a three-week placement.

Portfolio Prize: Georgina Tubb

1st Place Make: Meaghan Newhouse

2nd Place Make: Rose Peters

3rd Place Make: Fay Thorburn

Special Commendation: Laal Avgamabyeva