Friday 26 March 2010

Former creative director of WGSN has been appointed as TEXPRINT's new chairman

TEXPRINT, the non-profit organisation that nurtures home-grown textile talent, has announced the appointment of its new chairman Barbara Kennington (formerly creative director of WGSN - leading online research, trend analysis and news service for the fashion industry). Barbara will formally take over from the current chairman Julius Schofield in September 2010 at TEXPRINT’s annual prize ceremony at Indigo, Paris. During his seven years leading the charity, Schofield has been responsible for enlisting the support of some of fashion’s most loved designers including Diane Von Furstenberg and Giles Deacon. Many of TEXPRINT’s former alumni, such as Louise Goldin and Alice Temperley, have become internationally renowned names thanks to the support they received from this dedicated and hard working organisation. After graduating from London’s Royal College of Art in the late 1970s Barbara set up her own label, later moving on to work as design director for Desmond & Sons, then Coats Viyella PLC, both major suppliers to Marks & Spencer. In 1997, having developed the concept of WGSN with its founders Mark and Julian Worth, Kennington was invited to join WGSN to put the concept into action.