Life in HD - with Wayne Hemingway MBE

A wonderfully insightful, open and frank conversation with one of the UK's most successful and impactful entrepreneurs.

A journey from Morecambe to Blackburn to Wigan (mostly the Casino) and on to London where Kensington Market sparked the flame for winning fashion brand.

A fascinating story of two highly successful businesses borne out of a strong, dynamic relationship.

Our guest came to prominence in the 1980’s with fashion brand Red or Dead, created by Wayne and his equally talented partner Gerardine Hemingway MBE. In this conversation we explore the opportunities, challenges and decisions that shaped a global fashion brand and subsequently the driving force of Hemingway Design, project successes and future plans.

Outline

· Early years, Piers to Casino's

· Finding a Partner in Life and Fashion

· Rent or Debt to Red or Dead

· Growing a Global Brand

· Next Chapter… Hemingway Design

· Passion in Business and Design

· What fires you up and drives you in your role?

· Advice for Partners in Business

Website: https://www.hemingwaydesign.co.uk

Twitter: @HemingwayDesign

Bio:

Bio - Wayne Hemingway MBE.

One bright day in 1981, Wayne “borrowed” his girlfriend’s (now wife) Gerardine’s rent money to buy practice space for the band he then played in. To recoup the cash, he emptied their wardrobes, which were full of handmade and vintage clothing and to his amazement quickly sold out from his pitch on Camden Market. The realisation that money could be made from fashion suddenly dawned.

Alongside Gerardine, Wayne built Red or Dead into a globally-celebrated label and, after 21 consecutive seasons on the catwalk, sold it in a multi-million-pound deal to the Pentland Group.

In 1999, fresh from the sale of Red or Dead, Wayne and Gerardine embarked on a new adventure: HemingwayDesign. And the rest, they say, is history.

Wayne qualified from University with a BSc degree in Geography and Town Planning which he has subsequently had an opportunity to put to very good use with collaborations with major builders including Wimpey on an award-winning site, Staiths, in Gateshead.

Wayne spent 6 years as a Design Council Trustee Board and having been with CABE for a decade since its inception (as Chair of Building For Life), has been a Mayors London Leader and currently supports the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan as a Design Advocate. He is an advisor to House of Commons Select Committees on coastal regeneration, got an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 2006, is a Professor in The Built Environment Department of Northumbria University, a Doctor of Design at Wolverhampton, Lancaster and Stafford, and an Honorary Fellow of Blackburn College, the University of Cumbria and Regents University.

Hemingway Design deliver the following services

• Identities - to reinforce like-minded brands with strategic design thinking
• Products - with sustainability, economic well-being and British credentials
• Uniforms - for multi-nationals, the transport operators and the high street
• Environments - whether that's public spaces, mass-market housing, interiors or workspaces
• Events - allowing the creative industries to grow and thrive - and to have fun!