Designer now happy to give town his backing
DESIGNER Wayne Hemingway is famous for his fashion label Red or Dead and his campaigning for better, more affordable housing – but in Swindon he’s also known for his criticism of the town.
In 2005 he was critical of the design standards of new housing estates being built in the town and went as far to say he’d prefer to live in a Strangeways jail cell rather than in some of Swindon’s suburbs.
But now the former fashion designer is helping to boost the Railway Village heritage action zone.
He was part of the team from Swindon Borough Council speaking at an international conference on sustainable building design in London, and his company, Hemingway
Design, has been contracted by the council to develop a brand identity for the Railway Village.
His presentation referred to his previous criticisms and said the town has suffered from negative perceptions for many years, even when it was the fastest-growing town in Britain in the 1980s.
It said revitalising the town centre will be key to changing those perceptions, and showcasing the Railway Village, the heritage action zone round it and making it a well-known place will work towards that change.
He said: “Having spent time in Swindon and the heritage action zone and heard so much from locals through the engagement process, we’re very excited about what this place brand could achieve, not just for the heritage action zone itself but for wider Swindon.”
Cllr Robert Jandy, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for heritage, and the town centre, said: “I’m pleased to see us work with such accomplished companies on bringing the Heritage Action
Zone to life.
“The area has such a deeprooted history in Swindon and it’s something that everyone in the town should be proud of.”