Ellen Hembrow is a Fashion Design Engineer based in South Wales.

She runs her own clothing label, Llen Hembrow, and is a technical instructor at the University of South Wales.

Using her background in engineering, Ellen instructs students on garment construction, focusing on garment engineering.

"Most people think there's quite a big difference between engineering and fashion, but actually, the process is pretty much the same.

 

It's all about product design."

Llen Hembrow

Ellen's label, Llen Hembrow, designs tailored garments with a sustainable edge.

Ellen graduated from Glamorgan University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, which she followed up with a Masters in Environmental Engineering.

After spending some time in the industry, she wanted to retrain.

To do something more for herself; so she enrolled at the University of South Wales.

The university she now works at!

Who Else In The Fashion Industry Is Paving The Way?

Ellen hopes there will come a day when her industry is much more considerate about the environment.

She knows there is hope.

We're starting to get the likes of people like Stella McCartney and Christopher Raeburn leading the charge.

"They're more considered about the way that they design.

 

They're working with engineers.

 

They're looking at how they can make the fabric more sustainable, better for the environment, and also that could last a lot longer than the fabric that's being produced now."

Does This Motivate Students?

In her capacity as an educator, Ellen sees more and more students that are very switched on to sustainability.

They are more considerate to how the garments are made, what they're made from, and the impact that it has.

You will definitely notice this in wider society too!

Not just in the fashion industry. 

Ellen firmly believes that fashion designers of the future are starting to think more about the design aspect of the garment.

That it's not just about making a T-shirt.

They are becoming more considered about what they're doing.

It's refreshing to hear that they're designing more for who they are, not for what the ideal is!

Thinking about how they want to wear their garments, their size, their background, and their budget. 

"We don't have as much money to spend on things.

 

So we are thinking about the way that things last.

 

Our students, especially...

 

They're seeing everything as fabric.

 

With regards to the parachute, they can make a whole collection out of one parachute."

Parachutes & Fashion

We are very excited that Ellen is building a whole collection from our pink parachutes.

It's for a competition being organised by Redress.

The Redress Design Award is the World's largest sustainable fashion competition.

"I'm interested in using the parachutes in the competition because I wanted to use a fabric that wasn't specifically made just for the fashion industry.

 

There's lots of different ways that I can use the parachute.

 

I can bleach it.

 

I can dye it.

 

I can bond it together to create sturdier fabrics.

 

It's just about using something that's already there, and not creating something just for the sake of it."