FAD arranged for the finalists of the 2011 FAD Junior Awards to take part in a two day programme of industry visits and workshops in London.

The finalists arrive at Marks & Spencer's Head Office

Day 1

The first day began with a visit to the headquarters of one of the UK’s largest and longstanding retailers, Marks and Spencer. A jam packed programme included talks from designers, Head Buyers and Merchandisers and an insight into M&S’s award winning Plan A scheme, dedicated to fair trading, quality and innovation.

The students then participated in a series of career based workshops with FAD’s Educational Projects Manager, Joanne Matthews, covering everything from how to create a strong CV and applying for work experience, to preparing for university and job interviews.

The day ended with a visit to Vauxhall Fashion Scout at London Fashion Week to watch the Ubuntu South African Showcase Catwalk.

Finalists with River Island womenswear designer Lucy

Day 2

Day two and the finalists headed west to visit River Island’s head office. They were greeted by womenswear designer and FAD volunteer, Lucy, who showed them around the busy design studios.

FAD would like to thank our industry supporters at River Island, Marks & Spencer and Vauxhall Fashion Scout for making these visits possible.

Are you aged between 16-19 years-old? read more about future FAD careers events at the Fashion & Textiles Museum here.

After beating one hundred other young people for a place in the second stage of Fashion Futures 2, the FAD finalists faced their biggest challenge yet – to create a collection for the London Fashion Week catwalk in just five days.

Working alongside fashion tutors and student mentors at The University of East London they spent a week re-drafting ideas, creating patterns from scratch and sewing together their final creations.

The twenty five finalists, aged between 16 – 19 years old, are from many boroughs across London and Manchester. On Tuesday 20th September they will go head to head to present their design achievements at the 2011 FAD Junior Awards. On the night they will compete for top industry placements in front of a jury panel of retail and design professionals.

Visit our website again next month, when the winners and runners-up will be announced at the 2011 FAD Junior Awards & catwalk show. The event will take place for the fourth year running at Vauxhall Fashion Scout as part of their official schedule for London Fashion Week.

In the meantime scroll down to see more photos of the finalists in action and read their thoughts on the FAD experience so far.

“I have enjoyed the whole FAD experience so far. I liked the process of making the garment but I also like talking to the other finalists and seeing how the same collections at the V&A inspired everyone to come up with very different ideas.” Gemma Halliwell, Bury College

“I think, with the government making cuts, it’s going to be a lot harder for people like me to make their way forward, or get the education they want. A lot of people will choose not to go to university because they can’t be sure there is a future ahead of them. With a course like this it shows them that you can pick it up; you can move ahead and meet people in industry. You shouldn’t just give up your dream because of the changes taking place around you.” Jasmine Brunell, City & Islington 6th Form College

“Since I started coming to FAD on a Saturday, I feel like I’ve had a lot more opportunities, a lot more stuff for my portfolio. It’s been really helpful.” Shaunette Vincent, Our Lady’s Convent High School

“I think I have learnt a lot. As a person I’ve learnt to interact with people; you’ve got to make friends. I think I have also learnt a lot about time management, how to use new machines and different ways to approach problems.” Hafsa Meho, Pimlico Academy

“I’ve learnt that I can actually do it. At first I thought I can’t do this I should just give up, but you can’t really give up here. I’ve basically built confidence with the machines but also meeting new people because I’m the only one here form my college.” Arbresha Hisenaj, St Francis Xavier 6th Form College

"Apprenticeships and schemes for young people, like the ones FAD do, are a really good way for industry to help. The amount of times you apply for work placements only to be told you are too young, to come back after uni, so I think more things for younger people just finishing college – something to help them know exactly what they are going to do from a younger age and take a route into it would be great." Holly Cooney, St Philomena’s

“It’s awesome. I’m so excited I never expected to get through. It’s a really cool opportunity, because it’s just like having A-levels squeezed into 12 weeks. We get to meet people in the industry and uni teachers and get first hand information.” Tamzin O'Garro, Parliament Hill School

“The government should work alongside the industry to create more specialist workshops, like FAD, to introduce students at a younger age to industry. When I started the workshops I was worried that my lack of knowledge would mean I’d struggle. An insight into the industry, to technical terms and procedures, helps someone understand a job a whole lot better.” Nathan O'Brien, Tameside College

Meet the talented 25 who have made it through to the FAD Summer School at The University of East London and the 2011 FAD Junior Awards final, set to take place at London Fashion Week in September.

NORTH LONDON FINALISTS

Danielle Osammor, Newham College

Hamida Begum, City & Islington 6th Form College

Isabella Mackenzie, Camden School for Girls

Jazzi Driessen, Camden School for Girls

Sabine Bindere, Barking & Dagenham College

Tamzin O'Garro, Parliament Hill School

Yasemin Cakli, City & Islington College

Shaunette Vincent, Our Lady's Convent High School

Sharifa Khanum, Maria Fidelis Convent School

SOUTH LONDON FINALISTS

Arbresha Hisenaj, St Francis Xavier 6th Form College

Ashley Sasu, Lewisham College

Francesa Espniosa-Baster, St Philomena's

Hafsa Meho, Pimlico Academy

Holly Cooney, St. Philomena's

Marilyn Delacey, Shootershill Post 16 Campus

Nilgun Yilkan, Lewisham College

Shanel Brown, Crossways Sixth Form

Ella Hetherington, Predergast Hilly Fields College

Sabeen Farooq, The Norwood School

GREATER MANCHESTER FINALISTS

Sarafina Roberts, Salford City College - Pendleton Centre

Gemma Halliwell, Bury College

Nathan O'Brien, Tameside College

Sabah Akbah, Tameside College

Shahina Begum, Salford City College - Eccles Centre

On Friday 20th May FAD held an interactive celebration at the Victoria & Albert Museum, to mark the end of Fashion Futures 2 workshops.

Young people from across London and greater Manchester attended the event to find out which talented students would be selected to go through to the next stage – FAD’s Summer School at the University of East London, and the 2011 FAD Junior Awards final at London Fashion Week.

The Summer School will take place at the University of East London in July. Meet the 25 finalists who have made it through to the project final here.

Also check out what some of our aspiring fashionistas wore to the Fashion Futures celebration on our new blog.

Fashion Futures 2 student drawing in the new ceramic galleries

One hundred teenagers from London and Greater Manchester attend the launch of Fashion Futures 2011 at the V&A’s Sackler Centre.

2011 marks seven years of the Fashion Futures 2 initiative, an intensive 10 week course which aims to give 16 – 18 year olds, particularly those from less privileged backgrounds, a realistic insight into the working world of fashion.

The launch day began with a briefing from the FAD team, introducing students to the project and this year’s theme, ‘New Design Now’. In the afternoon they spent time researching and drawing in the newly restored ceramics, jewellery and glass galleries – taking inspiration from contemporary colour, sculptural silhouettes and new advancements in texture and pattern.

The next step for our young designers will be the practical workshops, taking place simultaneously at Hackney Community College(for students in North London) and Lewisham College (for students in South London). For the third year running, FAD is pleased to be working in partnership with Aimhigher and the University of Salford, bringing Fashion Futures 2 to young people in the Greater Manchester area.

2011 represents a challenging year for charities and local authorities. In spite of cuts in funding, continued demand for Fashion Futures 2 from both schools and students proves there is a strong need for initiatives which bring industry and creative young people together. Now more then ever young people are feeling the pressure to make the right career choices, and FAD can support them to do exactly that.

See more photos from the Research Day in "FF2 in Action".

FAD Project Manager, Joanne Matthews, presents the 2011 brief to students

FAD is proud to announce a new sponsor and retail partner for 2011, George at Asda. Their support has enabled FAD to fund ten scholarships for young people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to participate in the course.

This new partnership is particularly significant as George were sponsors of the first Fashion Futures 2 project in 2005, and again in 2006.

Read more about the George brand on their style blog: georgestyle.george.com

FF2 in Action

The practical workshops which cover everything from figure drawing, print and fashion illustration to draping, pattern cutting and construction will culminate in a exhibition of students’ work in May 2011.

Keep track of our aspiring young designers week by week on the “FF2 in Action” pages, where you can also read the latest Fashion Futures 2 newsletter.

Reporting from the workshops, FAD Volunteer Coordinator Varsha Odedra

This autumn FAD organised a series of two day career workshops at the Fashion & Textile Museum for 16-19 year olds. Targeted at college students getting ready to take their next step towards a creative career, the project was generously funded by The Ashley Family Foundation and New Look Foundation.

Day one of the workshop; students learnt about choosing the right university, course or apprenticeship and the tools they would need to succeed, from preparing a creative CV and interview techniques to putting together a portfolio of work. They also got an inside look at ‘university student life’ with a Q&A session from a panel of FAD beneficiaries, all of which are currently studying creative degrees.

Day two of the workshop; an insight to the different careers in the fashion industry, followed by industry professionals talking about their careers and the paths they took. Speakers included trend forecaster and The Women's Room founder, Jane Kellock, Retail Specialist and WGSN.com Editor Francesca Muston and former FAD Competition finalist and ethical designer, Anna-Marie Hesse of boutique 'Here Today Here Tomorrow'.

The workshop ended with a retail visit, and a session on market research analyzing how different retailers target their customers.

Teachers, could your students benefit from some specialist careers advice? FAD offers a range of career focused workshops. Please conact us for further information. E: info@fad.org.uk | T: 020 7490 3946.