Transitioning from STEM to STEAM engagement mechanisms: a Yorkshire-based creative industry collaborative ecosystem approach for fashion and textiles

This paper adopts a reflective practice methodology, outlining how the Future Fashion Factory award stimulated sectoral activity, facilitating innovative collaborations and delivering regional impact. FFF built on decades of academic collaboration and long-standing relationships with both industry and local/regional government, it brought regional initiatives together to enable new activity and raise the profile of existing collaborations. In this context the University of Leeds, along with HEI partners, acted as a broker for innovation connectivity and change. It contrasts the Future Fashion Factory ecosystem with previous Yorkshire-based cluster programmes which had a STEM-based foundation for their interventions, reflecting differences in funding mechanisms and outcome monitoring. Fashion and textiles are a significant regional economic contributor, value chains are complex, integrating creativity with materials and advanced manufacturing requiring the delivery of STEAM-based interventions. Mills in the Yorkshire's ‘textile heartland’ are globally recognised, some exporting c.90 % of their total production. In January 2020 Future Fashion Factory supported the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (MIT REAP) visit, facilitating academic connectivity with Leeds City Council and a visit to AW Hainsworth & Sons Ltd; one of many collaborative initiatives. Over five-years Future Fashion Factory has worked extensively with regional and national bodies to maximise learning, impact and future opportunities. Since October 2018 it has developed and trialled several iterations of an industry-led Responsive R&D process. Focused on regional cluster support Future Fashion Factory recognised fashion and textiles as a national/international collection of complex, interlocking eco-systems. Future Fashion Factory network membership focused on regional connectivity but with UK-wide industrial participation; project awards always ensured direct cluster impact. Learning developed from this industry-led approach led to wide-ranging engagement activity and triggered c.450 innovation ideas and c.£47m co-investment.