Jenny Evans, second year BA Textiles student, has recently come Runner-Up in the Big Ideas Wales Celebrated Awards for Best Business Idea.
Speaking about the ceremony, Jenny says: “It was a fantastic day, meeting so many young entrepreneurs was so inspiring. I received a huge amount of support from the Centre for Entrepreneurship before the event, especially with the materials needed for my stand. They provided me with one to one support and Flash Funding to help with the costs of a catalogue to hand out at the event. Attending their workshops also helped develop my pitching skills and general business confidence, which was essential when networking with the other entrepreneurs at the awards day. The University has yet again been incredibly supportive of my business, their help makes balancing a business and a degree possible.”
Jenny has also been successful in gaining funding from The Lord Mayor’s 800th Anniversary Awards Trust for a second time. Second awards are never normally made, but due to Jenny winning first prize for her post expedition report in 2014, the trustees have made an exception.
This funding was granted for an upcoming research trip to Borneo, where Jenny will be a research assistant to Dr Keireine Canavan, Head of Textiles/Principal Lecturer at Cardiff School of Art & Design.
The team will travel to Borneo in August to undertake a comparison study of historical Iban Dayak ikat weaving techniques & semiotic codes found in the ceremonial Pua Kumbu blankets between 1999 and 2017.
Pua kumbu blankets are large, highly acclaimed ceremonial clothes, that are believed to have magical powers. They are used to commemorate the passages of life at times of birth, initiation, marriage and death, and possess deep symbolic tribal meanings.
Well done Jenny!
