Wayne Hemingway MBE is a British designer with an international reputation for projects encompassing a strong community/social content through multi-disciplinary designers, HemingwayDesign, a medium sized family-owned business focused on place, people and positive social impact set up with his wife Gerardine who also received an MBE for their award-winning work.
In 2023 Wayne co-Founded www.CharitySuperMkt.com arguably the UK’s hottest retail concept taking the stigma out of pre-loved clothing and raising millions for charity as well as revitalising town and shopping centres. To understand Wayne’s drive for good design and good business it is worth going back to understand how it all started.
Wayne and Gerardine as 20-year-olds set up a market stalls in Camden, Kensington Market and Affleck’s Palace in Manchester selling second hand clothes, Gerardine’s handmade designs and Dr Martens (yes they were behind the Dr Marten brand explosion) The story of a buyer from Macy’s New York turning up out of nowhere and putting in a large order is one in its own right!
With family members and a few second-hand sewing machines they fulfilled the order and started the infamous and multi award winning Red or Dead fashion brand with 23 shops worldwide employing over 300 staff. Red or Dead was a groundbreaking global brand winning Designer of The Year awards for an unprecedented three consecutive years. They sold the brand in 1999.
Over the last 25 years, HemingwayDesign has worked with a variety of clients on projects that traverse most disciplines and sectors; including Shelter, Girl Guiding, Social Work England, The National Archive, The National Trust, TFL, St. Modwen, Taylor Wimpey, Argent, Landsec, Southbank Centre and Media City. The business has also advised over 40 local authorities across the UK.
Always believing that good house building design should never be compromised and can be achieved within budget, Wayne advised the House of Lords select committees, publicly shamed the house building industry then demonstrated (by master planning and designing a multi award-winning housing scheme in Gateshead).
Highlight projects include:
• Leading the coastal regeneration (master-planning), place-making branding for many towns and cities in the UK (think coastal Margate, Weymouth, Lowestoft, Morecambe, Boscombe, Cleethorpes and others from York to Southend)
• Re-imagining of Dreamland, Margate, Europe’s first ever pleasure park (shortlisted for Design Museum’s ‘Design of the Year’ in 2017).
• Uniform Designs of many large national institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum and Royal Museums Greenwich. Collaborated on uniform design with TFL where it co-designed its new uniform with the input of 16,000 staff and for the Girl Guiding movement with the largest co-design project known where 53,000 girls and women have contributed
• Established several highly successful place making festivals including Vintage Festival (Morecambe), Festival of Thrift (Teesside), Festival of Making (Blackburn), First Light (Lowestoft), Classic Car Boot Sale (Kings Cross) , Urban Village Fete ( London ) and We Invented the Weekend (MediaCity, Manchester).
• Co-Founded www.CharitySuperMkt.com arguably the UK’s hottest retail concept taking the stigma out of pre-loved clothing and raising millions for charity.
HemingwayDesign has tried and tested methodologies but are not restricted by a house style, or by process but have a subjective point of view that is considerate of diverse and divergent perspectives. They pride themselves on being plugged into the zeitgeist; understand cultural context and social issues that affect, and shape people’s lives every day.
The multidimensional way HemingwayDesign look at all projects comes from years of design experience and a highly motivated team that share their expertise and learnings.
Wayne has an extensive TV and radio background (from being a weekly presenter on the Big Breakfast, to a regular on Newsnight)
As a result, Wayne is a frequent keynote speaker on town centre and retail futures, entrepreneurship, purposeful business, housing and regeneration, brand, and more at corporate events and award ceremonies worldwide.
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