About

Bringing the textiles community together

We are bringing together industry and education experts to support, develop and deliver resources, courses and events for textiles teachers, trainers and anyone with a passion for textiles.

Who are we?

Leading textiles specialists

At the Textile Skills Centre, we’re a team of experienced professionals passionate about keeping textiles alive and thriving through education. We work to inspire and support teachers, students, and the wider textiles community through expert-led training, curriculum development, and collaborative projects. Our goal is to bridge the gap between education and industry, championing sustainability and innovation. We ensure that textiles remain a relevant, creative, and valued subject in schools - one that equips students with the skills they need for exciting futures in design, fashion, and beyond.

We aim to:

Promote the value of textiles in the community
Offer affordable, accessible textile skills training
Build links between industry and the community
Support schools and teachers with training and events
Enhance creativity and life skills through community workshops
Develop innovative curriculum resources
Mentor textile teachers and technicians, sharing best practice nationally and internationally
Encourage textile crafts to support mental health and wellbeing

Our story

Our founder, Dawn Foxall has had a fascinating journey from owning her own fashion brands to getting her Masters in Opera Performance. Her story is one of reinvention, resilience, and relentless passion for craft and education - pushing boundaries in both fashion and the future of textile learning.

An inspiring beginning

Early inspiration & creative beginnings

Textiles found their way into Dawn’s life from an early age. Her mother trained as a tailor; her grandfather was a designer of radiograms and cabinets for ‘His Majesty’s Voice’ – creativity and craftsmanship ran in the family. As a child, whilst mum made clothes for them all, Dawn made clothes for her dolls, always surrounded by fabric and the hum of a sewing machine.

This led her to Nottingham to study knitwear design, eventually creating bold, expressive designs that were to sell in Miss Selfridge, Topshop, and internationally during the '80s and '90s. Alongside running a fashion brand, she embraced Nottingham’s underground music and fashion scene to set up a studio space, The Works.

Exploring other avenues

From fashion to performance

In the late 1980s, Dawn joined two print designers to launch and run a club wear brand, Cocky’s Shed, laying the foundations for her career in textiles and ethical fashion.

But when this company folded in the mid ’90s, having sung in bands since college, she took a leap and studied Opera Performance, eventually joining a vocal trio that performed
around the world.

In 2004, Dawn joined ELYSIA, former distributors of Dr Hauschka skincare, to develop an organic and Fairtrade cotton brand, LIV. This role fused her textile expertise with a new focus on sustainability, and over nearly a decade, she developed deep knowledge in eco-conscious sourcing skills that would prove crucial as the retail world evolved.

Shaping the future

Championing the future of textiles

By 2015, with the textile industry evolving and the subject in decline within the curriculum, Dawn founded the Textiles Skills Academy with a clear mission: to reconnect education and industry, and to champion textiles as more than just fabric - encompassing design, technology, culture, and sustainability.

Launching with major education events in London, Birmingham, and Liverpool, she inspired both educators and industry professionals. During lockdown, the Textiles Skills Centre became an essential lifeline for textiles teachers, providing resources, training, and community support. Today, Dawn’s work continues to spotlight textiles as a vital, innovative field that deserves a central place in shaping the future.

An authority in the textiles world

Improve your textile skills

Improve your mental health and mindfulness

Sustainable textiles & fashion expert

Community for educators

Meet our senior team

They all have vast experience in the industry and enjoy passing on their knowledge to the future of textiles.
Meet the rest of our team here

Dawn Foxall

Founder & Chair and Textiles Skills Centre

BA (Hons) Knitwear Design; MA Music Performance

Nicky Simpson

Senior Associate Member & Secretary: Textiles Skills Centre CIC

BA (Hons) Textiles Design: Specialising in Print.

Roy Ballam

Director For Research: Textiles Skills Centre CIC; School Education Consultant)

BA (Hons), MA

Julia Burrows

Course Leader & Treasurer: Textiles Skills Centre CIC

BA Fashion Design; L3 Award in Education & Training (RQF)

We aim to become the UK’s go-to hub for textiles education. A supportive community that champions creativity, well-being, and lifelong textile skills.

- OUR MISSION

Support us

Help secure the future of textiles

We’re a team of volunteers behind the Textile Skills Centre community groups and website, offering free support, advice, and monthly networking events for textile teachers and trainees. All our time and costs are currently covered by us, but your donations - no matter how small - help us provide affordable training, promote textile craft for wellbeing, support curriculum innovation, mentor teachers and technicians, strengthen education-industry links, and maintain our free resources, website, and newsletters

Make a donation

@textileskillscentre