Centre for Sustainable Fashion

Mr Wingate

Sam Wingate was determined to become an architect until he discovered his passion for textiles on an Art Foundation course. After graduating with a BA in Textiles from Norwich School of Art in 2005, he moved to London where Sam started off by selling his prints on t-shirts and bags on Brick Lane. The printed product still shows signs of Sam’s love of architecture through the signature ‘building’ motifs which are a strong theme throughout his collections.

Sam Wingate has just opened his new shop and studio space on Columbia Road. Here you can see him sketching, sewing and printing his collection of cushions, tea towels, bags and T shirts featuring tone-on-tone graphics, vivid colours and imaginative and quirky designs that are a core element of the Mr Wingate brand of today. He has also expanded into homewares, including amazingly intricately printed wallpapers and a cushion collection titled “The East End Pub Crawl”, a series of four cushions in different colours, each one printed with a stylish interpretation of the pubs stops along the way. Wingate has also put his name to aprons, gift tags and napkins, all with his signature nouveau retro architectural images and Sam Wingate is firmly establishing a new concept of interior design.

As well as huge successes under his own label, Sam has also worked on some incredible commissions, working with brands such as DKNY who commissioned wallpaper for the Bond Street flagship store after they spotted his work at the “New Designers” Graduate show.

We asked Sam about the sustainable aspects of his brand and this was his response:

“Since taking part in the seminars at CSF I have changed my t-shirt collection over to being constructed from organic cotton, and I am currently working on sourcing a suitable organic cotton for my range of interior products.

I have also re-assessed my printing process to incorporate a greater sense of water consumption, designing prints that use fewer colours and that share elements of other prints, reducing the use of water in the process. I am also concentrating more on producing products that have a longer lifespan with the consumer, products that someone will cherish for years rather than throw away after a few months.”

• Visit Mr Wingate

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