Leigh Mansfield is a Liverpool based fashion designer and founder of the slow-fashion label Leigh Taylor. With over a decade of experience, her career has taken her from interning at Vera Wang in New York to selling her collections in Topshop stores across the UK. Her practice blends artisan craftsmanship, cultural storytelling, and contemporary design creating one-of-a-kind pieces from hand-sourced and vintage textiles. Leigh’s work reflects her belief in mindful making, celebrating heritage techniques and the women behind them, while redefining what slow fashion can look like in a modern, digital world.

Quiet crafting in a hype driven fashion world: Authenticity, artisan collaboration and sustainability in independent slow fashion.

My MA project explores the tension between quiet, meaningful design and the fast-paced, performance-driven nature of today’s fashion industry. Through my independent brand, Leigh Taylor, I have spent over a decade navigating both worlds from hand cutting lace at Vera Wang in New York to sewing artisan fabrics into fleeces in my small UK studio. The project builds on my lived experience collaborating with artisans in India and Guatemala, where I worked with women’s weaving cooperatives and home embroiderers using traditional craft techniques.
Using a practice-led, reflective approach, the research examines how small, slow-fashion brands can remain authentic and sustainable in a system that rewards visibility and hype. It questions whether thoughtful, handcrafted design can thrive without constant digital performance, and highlights the emotional, cultural, and ethical value of making fashion slowly with intention, honesty, and respect for the people behind each piece.