George Turner said that the Framework Knitters will continue to look to support up and coming talent in the UK to help improve the skills base in the knitwear trade.

“All at Shima Seiki Europe would like to thank George and Humphrey at the Framework Knitters for their support of James and look forward to working with them on new and exciting projects in the near future,” Graham Davies, Sales Manager, Shima Seiki Europe said.

Shima Seiki’s Apex Competition for students based at UK Universities awards two winners with a two-week paid visit to the company’s head office in Wakayama, Japan, where they will receive training on the latest Shima Seiki Apex Programming Systems and knitting technology. This year knitted textile design students Freya Butler (Nottingham Trent University) and Kathleen Myerscough (University of Derby) were named winners.

As a subsidiary of Shima Seiki, Shima Seiki Europe has been serving the European knitting industry, especially the UK and surrounding countries, since 1985. Shima Seiki develops top quality functional products and employs dedicated staff, who have provided customer-oriented sales and service for almost three decades.

The company’s office is located in Castle Donington, close to the cities involved in the knitting industry. In 2014, it renovated its office and expanded its Training Suite, which has a showroom with the latest knit samples and garments. “We not only supply the latest industry information but also contribute to the knitting industry by providing training to nurture technical specialists,” the company adds.

The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters is one of the City of London's Livery Companies, collectively known as the Livery. It traces its origins to 1589 when William Lee of Calverton in Nottinghamshire invented a method of knitting mechanically. Many of the company’s members have direct connections with the knitting and hosiery industries and assist them with various charitable works including Student Bursaries, Scholarships, and Almshouses, thus maintaining many of the original aims of the medieval Guilds.

The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters has helped students of design, management, marketing, science and technology relevant to the knitting/knitwear industries with bursaries for many years. In 1985, the company initiated a Student Bursaries & Awards scheme to encourage students in further and higher education to take an interest in the knitting/knitwear industries by entering an annual competition. The scheme is funded by Liverymen and the company’s associated industries.

www.shimaseiki.com

Further reading

East Midlands Students Win Shima Seiki Competition