Willow Dill-Russell

Technical Officer

Willow Dill-Russell

Technical Officer

Willow graduated from The University of Westminster with a First-Class Degree in BA Fashion Design. Their graduate collection debuted at London Fashion Week in February 2018 and was also exhibited as part of Discovery Labs in 2019. Since graduating, they have gained experience and skills in pattern cutting, garment construction and fabric manipulation within womenswear, menswear, and accessories. This experience has been gained through their work in industry including their ongoing role as Research and Design Assistant at Stephen Jones Millinery, working on collections for clients such as Dior and private clients including Rihanna and Billy Porter.

Willow joined the university in 2021 as Assistant Technical Officer to students supporting the BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology course where they pass on their knowledge and skills of fashion design and garment construction to students alongside delivering the use of the 3D Body Scanner.

Willow also designs non-binary clothing collections under their own named label. These collections are conceptual experimentations utilising skills in pattern cutting and fabric manipulation alongside retailable pieces, which are sold online. Some of Willows achievements include being named a designer to watch in I-D Magazine & Candy Magazine alongside having their work exhibited in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2019 exhibition - ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’. Willow has also created designs for special projects such as Tim Yip’s ‘Clouds’ project, exhibited at The Southbank Centre and bespoke garments for Tim Walker X Amanda Harlech.

Willow's work has featured in Vogue, Polyester Zine, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal alongside being worn by icons such as Tilda Swinton, Alok Vaid-Menon and Princess Julia. Willow is passionate about raising awareness of non-binary and queer identities within fashion and has contributed to this conversation through interviews for fashion platforms such as Showstudio, Hunger Magazine and Sleek Magazine.

Office Location

Cavendish South
Manchester Fashion Institute
Manchester Metropolitan University
Cavendish Street
Manchester M15 6BG