Jason Jiang, a BA (Hons) Fashion graduate from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), has won a free place on a six-month incubator programme at AUB’s Innovation Studio.
Designed to support the growth of early-stage creative projects, the Business Incubator offers desk space in the Innovation Studio; regular one-to-one coaching and support; access to the Innovation Studio team, which provides ongoing feedback and strategic guidance; participation in the monthly Innovation Exchange; opportunities to present progress to potential investors, partners and customers; and access to low-cost prototyping facilities with technical support.
The opportunity to win a free place on the Incubator opened to the entrepreneurial public in May. When applying, Jason was just coming to the end of his BA (Hons) Fashion studies, and had been working on a business proposal for an app to assist with digital pattern making and calculating fabric needs.
“When I saw this competition to win a free place, I knew I had to apply” says Jason. “What the Incubator programme offered was exactly what I was looking for to take my idea to the next level.”
Originally from China, Jason came to the UK in 2018 for his GCSEs and A-Levels.
“I went to a school in Kent and studied Business Studies, Fine Art, and Textiles," he explains. "I’ve always loved fashion. It started with shoes and sneakers – Kanye West’s range especially – I was fascinated with the concept of creating desire with a limited drop and great designs.
“During my studies at AUB, I got into AI and digital fashion. At the moment, fashion designers have to use three different platforms to transfer real patterns into the digital world. This makes for outdated, inefficient, and fragmented workflows. My idea is to make that process streamlined and quicker with a human-centred artificial intelligence agent that creates a collaborative ecosystem where anyone can design, earn, and produce responsibly and without limits.”
Jason intends to lead the transformation of fashion's global infrastructure by building the world's first intelligent operating system for design and production.
At the intersection of AI, CAD, and 3D prototyping, his platform replaces slow, wasteful processes with real-time, scalable creation tools.
“I reached out to my school friend, Stanley Chen, who I knew was an expert when it came to AI. I explained my idea; he was on board immediately and together we co-founded TechThread.AI."
Ahead of starting the Business Incubator, Jason and Stanley registered their company, hired two interns (Charlie Pike and Robert Ng) to work on the back end of the app, which they hope to launch in its beta stage this September, and are already pitching to potential investors.
“My vision is to democratise fashion design at a global scale – empowering anyone, anywhere, to turn ideas into garments instantly. By reengineering the foundations of the industry, I want to lay the groundwork for a faster, more sustainable, and radically accessible future of fashion.”
Clare Trevanion, Programme Lead for the Incubator, comments, “We are thrilled to welcome Jason to the Incubator. His unwavering dedication to his venture, coupled with a contagious enthusiasm, consistently inspires those around him.”
