Wayne Hemingway MBE Co-Founder of HemingwayDesign

Morecembe born and Blackburn raised, English entrepreneur and designer, Wayne Hemingway graduated in Geography and Town Planning at University College, London and subsequently an MA in Fashion at the University of Surrey. Both Wayne and his wife Gerardine received MBEs in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 2006, for their services to the design industry. Wayne 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.

With Gerardine, they built the fashion brand Red or Dead from a 2^nd hand clothes market stall into a globally celebrated label and after 2 decades, sold it in a multi-million-pound deal to Pentland group. A new adventure began with HemingwayDesign, a multi-disciplinary, award-winning design studio.

Unrestricted by house style or process, their passion for sustainability, social responsibility and using design to improve lives, has encompassed a wide variety of clients including Shelter, The National Trust, St. Mowden, Southbank Centre and TFL. Successfully working on diverse and critically acclaimed culture-led regeneration projects, urban and interior design, council housing, multi-arts festivals, helping to rebuild Dreamland in Margate and co-designing the new Transport for London uniforms.

More recently, as well as continuing to be leaders in design that repurposes, rethinks and minimises waste, Wayne co founded the CHARITY SUPER.MKT concept. Bringing a new and relevant charity retail into the 21st century, this project uses existing town centre, vacant, retail spaces and transforms them into must-visit, purposeful destinations, selling 2^nd hand fashion and accessories. The first of its kind opened in Brent Cross in early  2023, with national and local charities collaborating for a multi-charity department store, The sales figures the press coverage and the customer reaction has been phenomenal and the concept is now touring the UK  As this is written Charity Super.Mkt is perhaps the UK’s hottest retail format.

Wayne Hemingway talks charities on The Complaining Cow Consumer Show

Wayne talks about the Charity Supermarket, how it started, successes and plans for the future.

About Helen Dewdney, The Complaining Cow

Helen Dewdney is a consumer rights expert, author and media commentator. She regularly appears on television, radio and in the press discussing money saving, consumer rights, customer service, scams and personal finance.

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