Takita Bartlett is a Mathematician, Fashion Designer and Founder of STEM in Style and Takita Takita
In this interview, she discusses how her interests in Maths and Fashion led her to build a unique career, the growing demand for STEM skills in the Fashion Industry and how she's engaged over 2000 young people in creative activities such as making beads with quadratic sequences!
First things first, can you tell us how you ended up with two seemingly unrelated degrees?
I was able to balance the two up until A-levels. However, when I started looking for university choices, it was a challenge finding one which offered both as a joint degree. I even explored looking internationally, for example I looked at America because I thought they offer the option of doing a major/minor degree jointly but even then, I couldn’t find any suitable way of merging Maths with Fashion.
I found myself going towards the rationale that ‘Maths is a traditional academic subject’, and maybe I should continue with this subject on my traditional academic journey. Once I finished my Maths degree and worked for a bit, I enrolled on a Fashion Design Course at London College of Fashion and that’s how I approached balancing these seemingly “unrelated” areas. Although, I have always found the two related!
For individuals considering pursuing similar subjects to a Higher Education level, are there Universities that offer the choice to study both at the same time?
The Technology landscape these days has opened up more opportunities. For example, since my time selecting University choices, London College of Fashion have opened an innovation agency, University of the Arts London have a creative computing department and have a great course on FutureLearn that’s an Introduction to Creative AI.
There is also potential to study a STEM based discipline like Material Science then explore fashion applications and vice versa. I remember attending a Textiles showcase a while back, whereby one of the students designed a bra that releases medication for breast cancer patients, secreting the medication directly to the target area.
Have you come across anyone with unique degree combinations like yours?
Very recently I came across a job advert seeking an Art Illustrator with a Science background. Turns out that the combination of skill and technical knowledge helps to ensure illustrations and characteristics of organisms are expressed and represented more accurately. There is a great Ted talk by Ikumi Kayama about this.
Other examples include Great British Sewing Bee’s Patrick Grant, he has a background in
engineering, before becoming a renowned tailor on Saville Row. If you think about it, one of the first things you do when you create a garment is to measure, then create these irregular
shapes that you transform from a flat 2D pattern to a 3D puzzle that you can wear - that
in itself is Engineering!
Ozwald Boateng and Brooke Roberts-Islam started out in Computer Science and Radiology
respectively before also finding success within fashion.
Were there any challenges you faced going from Maths into Fashion?
As I mentioned previously about the process of creating a garment, having a mathematical
approach does help with certain aspects of construction!
There’s precision of angles and proportions (and much more!) to consider before even getting to other decorative design features which is another layer of technique
A challenge I found was in stretching across these networks. Networking in itself can be challenging, so you can imagine having to balance this in two different industries - it’s learning two different worlds and doing extra work to remain updated, aware and present in their communities.
A positive is going into either space, you come with a unique skillset and that often serves a great way to be memorable. Another challenge, sometimes daunting sometimes exciting, is there’s no clear path to really follow for this career combo. There’s not a “10 steps to becoming a Fashion Mathematician” guide so it really is about forging your own path. There’s a lot of unknowns, working it out as you go along and using all that networking to gather nuggets of wisdom or opportunities.
Can you tell us about what you currently do?
After I completed my degree, I started Takita Takita, a brand that creates clothes and jewellery pieces that celebrate and combine Maths and Fashion.
This has brought many opportunities my way, for example, designing for Ellie Goulding. I had spent most time making bespoke pieces but I am now focused on rolling out a new collection that further explores various mathematical concepts but still remains stylish, vibrant and really captures the beauty of the Maths.
You are the founder of STEM in Style, a platform for engaging more young people in STEM by exploring creative applications within the fashion and design industries - can you tell us more about this?
It’s been officially running since 2018 and since then we’ve got to work with over 2000 young people and we’ve had them involved in all sorts of workshops, projects and exhibitions that allow them to explore and apply their creative skills but also their technical STEM skills in a different way in various activities. Some of these include beading quadratic sequences, designing, making and coding wearable tech accessories.
Photo taken at one of the STEM in Style Workshops
For me it’s about challenging perceptions and stereotypes and that’s in both ways. Stereotypes about fashion being fickle and being just about the aesthetics. Or that STEM is boring or thinking Maths learnt in school will not be needed or relevant beyond exams.
STEM in Style explores the technical prowess needed to work in fashion and portrays STEM as an exciting and versatile group of subjects. Another key thing is showing that studying STEM doesn’t necessarily only lead to roles such as being a doctor or an engineer. As important as these roles are, STEM in Style strives to provide knowledge of the full spectrum of applications of STEM which then helps young people to make more informed decisions about their future careers. If you only see limited options, you are only going to see limited aspirations.
Can you give us some practical examples of the role STEM plays in the Fashion Industry and the outlook of STEM careers in this industry?
In terms of the direction in which Fashion is heading, one glaring area is sustainability, this is probably the case across many industries but particularly in Fashion I am noticing more STEM terms used at the events I attend and it’s lovely to hear! There is a lot I am seeing now around sustainable materials, for example, using fruit and veg to make fabrics, waste from pineapple to make leather, there is also mushroom leather now, and silk from orange skin. There is a cool company called Bolt Threads using mycelium (root system for fungi/mushrooms) to create leather.
Technology is also playing a huge role at various steps of the supply chain. There has been an exploration into using AI for forecasting trends in fashion. This is particularly useful for reducing waste, for example if the colour of a fabric isn’t in “season” it could become unsold inventory. So rather than making final production of unwanted fabrics or collections, AI is used for more accurate predictions of demand.
Blockchain is also being used for transparency and for tracking the different stages of the life cycle of the garment and see where the garments come from, what the journey is and identify parts you can make more sustainable.
Another example which is especially relevant during this time of COVID -19 is digital clothing. A lot of companies are now allowing us to enhance our digital selves, through our clothes. So, for example, you could be at home, maybe logged into a work meeting or lectures in pyjamas but you could digitally wear a suit. You can also get a feel of what it would be like to own a desired garment from a luxury designer brand by getting a digital version which costs a fraction of the real thing. This also serves as an alternative means to produce samples; you can create digital versions of your designs. So instead of creating/using physical samples, you can have a digital version or even digital fashion shows, without having to produce garments. This is especially cost and time efficient, and at a large scale too.
What tips would you give someone who is considering studying STEM but also interested in Fashion?
I would say again that these seemingly opposite passions make up your USP, You are coming in with different insights and experience, so you should definitely see it as a strength! Be authentic, do what you enjoy and find ways you can earn from it.
You may opt to get a qualification like I did after my Maths degree and even then, I was still designing throughout, not necessarily creating a full-blown portfolio, but I was still working on what I love, doing little things for friends…still holding on to my love for design and creating. To take it from a hobby to a career though, it’s good to get a qualification and/or work on projects where you can show off your skills. Most importantly, do not see what you bring to the table as a hindrance! A varied skillset is needed now more than ever so stick with what you enjoy and check out STEM in Style for more opportunities to help you do just that!
inSTEM would like to say a huge thank you to Takita for a brilliant insight into STEM careers and opportunities in Fashion
If you have any questions for Takita and would like to get in touch with her or find out more about what she does, you can use any of the links below to connect with her
STEM in style
Takita Takita
Want to read more about how Maths is being used to create Fashion? Make sure you check out our latest innovation blog post
Finally, we would like to hear your thoughts on unconventional STEM careers, make sure you leave a comment below!
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