Textile and Fashion Center – the hub of cluster 7

A cluster in West sWeden With greAt prospects of success

From the show of the fashion design students at London Fashion Week 2011. Design: Ida Klamborn Photo: Simon Armstrong

Front page:A belt braided with thirteen lengths of optical fibers. Design: Barbara Jansen, PhD Student Smart Texti-les/Swedish School of TextilesPhoto: Henrik Bengtsson

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A Cluster within Textiles and Fashioncollaborating with both competitors and colleagues is nothing new for the textile and fashion industry. This was a well-established practice for the travelling salesmen and the ready-to-wear clothing enterpreneurs in earlier days. Indeed, it is collaboration and entrepreneurship that has enabled Borås and the Sjuhärad district to retain its leading position in this field. Today, it is Scandinavia’s leading business hub for fashion, textiles and design and also Northern Europe’s leading centre for education in textiles and fashion. Borås is a business centre of strategic importance – it offers exporters and importers as well as producers within fashion, textiles and associated sectors plenty of opportunities for new business and development.

The University of Borås has developed intense collaboration with leading actors in the textile and fashion industry; this co-operation has now taken the form of a unique cluster. We call this “Cluster 7”, with the number 7 (sju in Swedish) referrring to the Sjuhärad district (Seven Administrative County Districts). The time is right for such development. There is a spirit of optimism and creativity today that has never been more tangible. This spirit is evident amongst the city’s residents, business people, entrepreneurs, students and researchers.

Fashion above all helps to shape our perception of the society in which we live. Many of us in this field are attracted by the idea of becoming strong-er through working more closely together and thereby further developing our unique expertise. The scope of business in this area spans everything from the latest on the catwalk to smart textiles. The textile industry in Borås has managed to achieve a far-reaching structural transformation; it has moved from large textile mills to modern business operations within

design and ready-to-wear fashion where it has proven to be internationally competitive.

The latest manifestation of this process is the rebuilding of an old factory quarter to create a centre of growth and a venue to promote interaction be-tween textiles and fashion, companies, science and innovation. This is where the Swedish School of Textiles will be housed together with other parts of the University that carry out research within the field of commerce and eco-nomics. Companies and other stakeholders will also move to the Textile and Fashion Center and thereby create foundation that encourages a growing environment for future-oriented educational programmes, research and business with “Cluster 7” as the fundamental idea.

West Sweden has defined five other clusters:

•  Urban future•  The marine environment and the maritime sector•  Transport solutions•  Green chemistry and bio based products•  Life science

the region’s sixth cluster brings together textiles and fashion (this we prefer to call the seventh). This constitutes a cluster to function as an inte-grating link and meeting place to generate economic growth and with re-spect to sustainability. The establishment of the Textile and Fashion Center creates an internationally leading arena for textiles and fashion through a triple helix co-operation between the academic and research world, the mu-nicipality and the business sector.

We invite you to co-operate with us!

björn brorströmVice Chancellor, University of Borås

anders glemfeltHead of Business Development, City of Borås

anna appelqvistDirector of Design and Purchase, Gina Tricot

in a survey of which industries different towns

and cities are associated with, textiles and fashion

came out number one for borås. For stockholm

these only came in seventh place and in gothen-

burg in tenth place.

!

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Did you know that a motor veichle is made of textiles to quite a large ex-tent? or that sweden is a world leader in manufacturing climate screens and filtering media? seK 18.3 billion – that is the total value of sweden’s export of textiles in 2011. this is more than the combined exports of swedish music, vodka and iron ore.

textiles anD Fashion are vital components in many enterprises and in-novations. It not only covers what we traditionally think of, for example

home furnishings and clothing, but also technical textiles such as airbags to smart textiles which react to their surroundings. Textiles have, moreover, fostered the development of related sectors here within logistics, mail order, e-commerce, PR and communications. These, in their turn, have generated reciprocal synergies on the textile and fashion industries. Such enterprises are strongly represented in Borås and the Sjuhärad district. No less than 50 % of all textiles and fashions that are imported to Sweden pass through Borås. The city’s traditions in the textile industry have a long history and this is indeed the industry that the city and its peoples have always been associated with.

A new city district in the heart of Borås. In 2013 it will become a prominent venue

for creative activities within the world of fashion, textiles and design with leading tenants

such as the Swedish School of Textiles, Smart Textiles, Museum of Textile History, Marketplace

Borås, the Fashion Incubator among others. ILLuSTrATIon SWeco ArKITeKTer

Textile and Fashion – Borås builds its future on its historical roots …

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The entire textile business underwent a process of cutbacks and reorgani-sation during the 1970’s. Production was shifted abroad but those compa-nies that survived were then successful at reorienting themselves. Business continued to be carried out and competence was retained within design, purchasing and the retail trade. From these operations something new has now emerged, very much due to the entrepreneurial spirit, the process of co-operation and the fact that expertise and knowledge have been nurtured and developed.

The Swedish School of Textiles is built up around three key fields: De-sign/handicraft, Technology and Management. Education and research is carried out within each one of these fields. The two major research profiles, Smart Textiles and F3 – Fashion Function Futures directly intersect these three fields and acquire knowledge from all of them. The broadness of the education is unique and means that hands-on research can be combined with artistic development work.

The University of Borås stands alone in Sweden in awarding doctorates (PhD’s) within both the artistic and scientific disciplines of textiles and fash-ion. Nowadays, it is equally important to be an actor within both textiles and fashion, just as it is essential to offer education and research. Interaction with the industry has ensured that the level of competence amongst the compa-nies’ employees has been raised and through the profession the research fields have been fertilised with new ideas.

a new creative arena takes shape. A natural understanding of the pro-duction process is something that has always characterised education and research at the Swedish School of Textiles. This owes very much to the work-shops and laboratories that students and researchers have access to. Soon these preconditions will be further enhanced. In 2013 the first phase of a major urban development project in Borås will have been completed. The area is to be called the Textile and Fashion Center. By renovating an old industrial quarter of the city, a new growth hub for textiles and fashion will be cre-

ated. There will be ample scope for research, education, new start-ups, busi-ness incubator activities and design workshops as well as student apartments, shops and cafés. Meanwhile, more than 90 companies in the Sjuhärad dis-trict interact via Marketplace Borås. This is a forum for business networks, events and seminars within fashion, textiles and design. Another element that gives a unique ambience to the Textile and Fashion Center is that Swe-den’s only textile museum is moving in, the Museum of Textile History.

The creative environment with open areas aims to stimulate meetings, networking and events. The intention is to foster new ideas in new contexts. The Textile and Fashion Center is set to become a self-evident venue for a series of key players in the textile cluster; thereby the region’s position is strengthened as a centre of textiles and fashion.

Business and development possibilities are not only tied to the textile in-dustry but can be found across a whole spectrum of different sectors with tex-tiles becoming the linking idea. The business idea behind Smart Textiles is to stimulate and demands needs-driven research and to create preconditions for co-operation between end-users, researchers and the industry in order to develop new products and services in respect of the textiles of the future.

sustainable Development is a natural component. In the future, there can be no doubt that a sustainable fashion concept will become necessary. The research project F3 focuses on questions that relate to the paradoxical nature of fashion as a whole. Consumption is increasing year by year and this affects both people and their environment. In this context a changed pattern of consumption behavior is crucial. Subsidiary issues for research-ers relate to ecology, working environments and how we are influenced socially but also economically. This type of research looks for new per-

spectives across the entire design process. One example of such research, undertaken in col-laboration with relevant companies, concerns getting to grips with the pile of clothing we all possess! An average of eight kg of used textiles per person in Sweden is discarded as rubbish.

Textile and Fashion – Borås builds its future on its historical roots …

“We have opened the door to the opportunities that are available in textiles; this means that new innovators will emerge who understand the vital function of textiles.”erik bresky, Head of School at the Swedish School of Textiles

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TechnologySmart Textiles is building an internationally recognised centre for innovation, development, design and production for the next generation of textile products. In our region, with Borås as the centre, an internationally well-known cluster of textile and ready-to-wear clothing companies is now operating. Through Smart Textiles these are linked together with companies in other in-dustries. The goal is to run a dynamic innova-tion system, Smart Textiles, to promote growth, strengthen international competitiveness and create new job opportunities in the region. The resulting business and development opportuni-ties are not limited to the textile industry as such but may be found in any industry. However, tex-tiles will always be the common link.

ManageMenTAt a time when oil is running short and cotton production is insufficient for the rapidly growing demand, the global textile industry is facing one of its greatest challenges since the Industrial Rev-olution. This dramatic scenario is a starting-point for the research programme F3 – Fashion Func-tion Futures. This relates to multidisciplinary research of high international quality. Here are combined research competencies in fashion, tex-tiles and fashion-related businesses encompass-ing different schools at the University of Borås. This leads to a strengthening of research into and around sustainable fashion as well as textiles that are useful to the fashion sector. This also corre-spondingly strengthens the region and its trade and industry. Owing to the fact that the research spans technology, design and management, F3 becomes an attractive forum for researchers, trainees and other organisations having an inter-est in fashion and function.

DesignThe fashion design process is altogether special through its short cycles, its intensity, its demand for rapid decisions and its starting point in more or less well-founded assumptions concerning future trends. The whole process makes high demands on a systematic working approach. Research concerning the development of design methodology specially adapted to fashion design is essential for the development of educational programmes within fashion and for fashion de-sign as a profession.

Knitted blood vessel developed by Y-Graft AB in cooperation with Smart Textiles.

Since we are running out of cotton attempts are made to find alternative materials. At the university of Borås there is on-going research on how to make trees into cotton.

From the show of the fashion design students at London Fashion Week 2011. Design: Maline nordin.

region västra götalanD (vgr)

region Västra Götaland’s purpose is to

promote growth and sustainable develop-

ment in Västra Götaland in co-operation

with companies, organisations, municipa-

lities, higher education institutions and

government agencies.

city oF borås

Borås is a centre of trade and enterprise

but also has a long tradition as Sweden’s

foremost textile city. Many well-known textile

and ready-to-wear clothing chains have their

head offices in Borås including Hemtex, Gina

Tricot, SVeA and 8848 Altitude.

marKetplace borås

Marketplace Borås is a

virtual and physical forum

for business networks, events

and seminars within the

fashion, textile and design

industries.

the west sweDen chamber

oF commerce

The West Sweden chamber of

commerce is a private, politically-

neutral organisation that works

to strengthen and develop the

region’s business community.

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PH

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: JA

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PH

oTo

: S

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n A

rM

STr

on

G

AcG-nyström AB

FoV Fabrics AB

Gina Tricot AB

BoråsBorås näringsliv AB

nilörngruppen AB

rudholm & Haak AB

S.o.L reklambyrå

Svensk Distanshandel

Syverket i Borås AB

unitra Int corp

Västsvenska Industri- och Handelskammaren

Borås Stad

Kanico AB

Inkubatorn i Borås

Högskolan I Borås

responstryck AB

c. Jahn AB

nelly.com

nordisk Designskola

Peobe AB

Teko Solutions

F.S.T (Fagersbergs Sport & Texti AB)

cM Garment

Buzz International

Londre Hatten

Bl clothing

Jenkins Productions Link

Arbeja

oscar of Sweden

Segers

carlsteins

Brink Textile

Kwintet

Wackes

Future Lab

Morgan Gustafsson Skinn och läder

Jotex

Brunngård

Morris

Wengbrands redovisning

etikettkompaniet

BeAB

Leluma Design

Didriksons

unibrands

oscar Jacobson

care of carl

Halens, cellbes, Bubbleroom, Wästgöta

H&M

ruwi AB

Göte David

craft

Ateljé Margaretha

oxeon

Tyggrossisten

nordifa AB

SeB

Älvsborgs Provinsbank

TST Sweden AB

Sjuhäradsbygdens Färgeri

BoLon

Pret áPorter

BMW

Almedahls

Happy Land Holding

Vokes Air

Svenskt Konstsilke

Handelsbanken

Ljungberg Läderaffar Försäljnings AB

Ljungbergs Textil

revolt Byra AB

Keep communication

Joy of Plenty

Söder & company

norving & company

Spirit of Maya

Hemtex

8848 Altitude

rekyl reklambyrå

Lindevelop Innovation AB

swerea

The Swerea Group creates,

refines and procures

research results within the

fields of materials, process,

product and production

technology.

sp

SP Technical research Institute of

Sweden is an institute for research and

innovation with an international profile. It

contributes vital scientific knowledge to

the competitiveness of the business sector

and to sustainable development.

Fashion incubator

The Fashion Incubator (Modeinkubatorn) is a

niche organisation and is unique in Sweden.

Its purpose is to create the right precondi-

tions for enterpreneurs to achieve a market

breakthrough within the textile and fashion

industries.

hDK/gu

The School of Design and

crafts, HDK, is a part of

the university of Gothen-

burg and is the largest Fine

Arts Faculty within the

nordic region.

organisations – the sinews oF the textile cluster

a list oF companies that, through their membership in marKetplace borås, are part oF the textile cluster

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