Wayne Hemingway

Wayne Hemingway, MBE is an English fashion designer and co-founder of Red or Dead.

Wayne Hemingway was born in 1961 in Morecambe. Wayne’s earliest memories are of his mother and grandmother dressing him up as Elvis, a Beatle or Tarzan and being paraded up and down Morecambe pier or being held aloft in a wrestling ring by his Native American father, Billy Two Rivers. These early child-modeling stints went some way towards influencing the youth who was forever experimenting with styles and cultures and reinventing himself whenever the next big “thing” came along.

Hemingway left the independent Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn with 10 O Levels and 4 A Levels. In 1979, he gained a Degree in Geography and Town Planning at University College, London. The move that sealed Wayne’s fate was taken to fuel funds for the band that he then played in. One day he decided to empty his wardrobe and that of his childhood sweetheart (now wife) Gerardine and took the contents to sell on Camden Market. The realization that money could be made from fashion suddenly dawned. With Gerardine, Wayne built Red or Dead into a label that received global acclaim resulting in winning the prestigious British Fashion Council’s Streetstyle Designer of the Year Award for an unprecedented 3 consecutive years in 1996, 1997 and 1998. After 21 consecutive seasons on the catwalk at London Fashion Week, Wayne and Gerardine sold Red or Dead in a multi million cash sale.

In 1999, they set up HemingwayDesign, which specializes in affordable and social design. The highest profile project is The Staiths South Bank, an 800 property mass market housing project in Gateshead for George Wimpey Homes where HemingwayDesign are involved from the master planning and architecture through to the landscaping and marketing of this groundbreaking project. Wayne is the Chairman of Building for Life, a CABE (Commission for Architecture and The Built Environment) funded organization that promotes the quality of design of new housing. He is a Professor in the Built Environment department of Northumbria University, a Doctor of Design at Wolverhampton, a writer for architectural and housing publications as well as a judge of international design competitions including the regeneration of Byker in Newcastle Upon Tyne and Salford in Greater Manchester and the Stirling Prize, Europan and a TV design commentator. He has also just received an MBE and is Chairmain of the South Coast Design Forum.

Since 2006 Hemingway has been a regular columnist for Sublime Magazine - the world's fist international sustainable lifestyle magazine. Sublime is a portrait format, glossy publication aimed at the main stream market.

Wayne commisioned Manchester based artist Adam Hayley to paint his portrait in November 2008. The portrait was completed in July 2009 and is exhibited at Manchester's Mooch Art Gallery located in the Triangle shopping centre. The painting has previously been exhibited in Manchesters Mooch Art Gallery on Oldham Street, Northern Quarter.