Nottingham Trent University alumni make an impact in local business G.H.Hurt & Son

Three NTU alumni are now helping to grow the luxury lace knitwear brand G.H.Hurt & Son, after completing placements there during their degree.

(L-R): Taya, James, Gillian and Jasmine

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has a long-standing relationship with lace knitwear producers G.H.Hurt & Son, supporting the School of Art & Design’s Knitwear Design courses and as the business has grown, welcoming innovative ideas from Nottingham Business School students. G.H.Hurt & Son has since grown from a local business to a digital company with a global audience, supported by NTU placement students and alumni.

Alumni from the School of Art & Design and Nottingham Business School are now employed full-time at the company, using the skills and knowledge gained during their degree to make a real impact on the growth of the business.

James Taylor, BA (Hons) Business Management and Marketing graduate, is now working for the company in Marketing and Operations. James worked for the company on a freelance basis throughout his studies and then joined full-time shortly after graduating. During his time at the company, James has been able to develop G.H.Hurt & Son’s international markets by developing payment methods on their e-commerce platform, creating campaigns for the US market and engaging consumers with video content. James’s input into the organisation’s marketing strategies has meant that the US is now one of the company’s most successful online markets.

James commented: “Being trusted with some big projects so soon out of university is fantastic and seeing the positive results that those projects have had on the business is very gratifying. I’ve learnt so much in just 18 months of full-time work and achieved some brilliant things with G.H.Hurt & Son."

Jasmine Farmer, BA (Hons) Fashion Knitwear Design & Knitted Textiles graduate

Jasmine Farmer, BA (Hons) Fashion Knitwear Design & Knitted Textiles graduate, joined the company during her sandwich-year placement. She became a full-time employee shortly after graduation. Since then, she’s been a key member of the knitting production team, assisting with production and designing new innovative knitwear pieces. Jasmine’s training continues as she develops more sophisticated understanding of knitwear design CAD systems and the operation of a variety of commercial knitting machines.

Jasmine commented: “I love that I get the opportunity to work on new designs and select yarns appropriate for the customer base and season. It’s great that I work on both the computer system and running the machines as I get to see both sides of the design process. “

Taya Latchford, BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing & Branding graduate, originally joined the business as a graduate intern, gaining valuable work experience as a Digital Marketing Assistant. She has since joined G.H.Hurt & Son on a full-time basis. Her role encompasses management of social media, influencer relationships, leading fashion shoots, management of content production, and creating marketing materials such as collection brochures. Her time at the company has allowed her to apply her degree skills in the workplace, gain extra training and develop her professional skills. Taya’s input is improving the company’s digital growth, brand presence and global online reach.

G.H.Hurt & Son commented : “We find that students always bring fresh and innovative ideas to our business, bringing new methods and helping our business to keep pace with modern thinking. We have always been proud of our Nottingham heritage and the traditional knitting style we pursue here. So, employing students following their time at a local University means a lot to us too, giving us pleasure to promote our city even further.”

Gillian Taylor, Director of G.H.Hurt & Son added: “We at G.H.Hurt & Son are continuing to build our brand awareness in existing markets as well as develop growth into new international markets. The students we have taken on from Nottingham Trent University are an essential part of this development and growth.”