Salford Study Day at the V&A

London Fashion Futures 2 students outside the V&A

The V&A's new Sackler Centre

The Hochhauser Auditorium; 2008 Winner Aysha Simpson talking to the London students

Research in the fashion and glass galleries

Salford Study Day at the V&A

Students draping on the stand at Hackney College

Students draping on the stand at Hackney College

Students draping on the stand at Lewisham College

Students draping on the stand at Lewisham College

Naomi Dominique, Head of Design at River Island

Amanda Johannson, freelance fashion PR and Melanie Cunningham, Lecturer & former Head of Buying at M&S

Students deciphering this summer's key trends

Jury day at Hackney Community College

Jury day at Hackney Community College

Jury day at Hackney Community College

Jury day at Lewisham College

Jury day at Lewisham College

Salford Jury Day

Salford Jury Day

Video by Mark Gibson

Prendergast Hilly Fields student Katerina Drury, 18, was awarded the top accolade at the 2009 FAD Junior Awards, held at Vauxhall Fashion Scout on Tuesday 22nd September.

“Now I’ve got over the shock, it’s really exciting. Being part of this means everything for my career because it will enhance my chances of being able to go to university. It’s an amazing opportunity." - Katerina Drury, Winner of the 2009 FAD Junior Awards

2009 FAD Junior Awards winner, Katerina Drury & her design

From left: Katerina Drury, Martyn Roberts (VFS), Aysha Simpson & Joanne Matthews (FAD)

"This project has definitely opened my eyes. I’ve always loved doing extra things, but this has been the best thing I’ve ever done out of school, even in school. It’s really given me confidence in everything I do. I’ve met so many people and made so many amazing contacts.“ – Katerina Drury, winner of the 2009 FAD Junior Awards

Lily Harriman, Award for Pattern Cutting

Miriam Mwangi, Award for Creativity;Egle Zepkinaite, Award for Research; Egle & her model

Three runner-up awards were also announced – for Creativity, Miriam Mwangi, 19, from NewVic 6th Form College (Newham); for Research, Egle Zepkinaite, 17, from City & Islington College (Islington); and for Pattern Cutting, Lily Harriman, 17, from Camden School for Girls (Camden). In addition, a special mention was given to Salford finalist Elizabeth Prince, 17, (Pendleton College) in recognition of her accomplished fashion illustrations.

“The best thing about the night was talking to various people in the fashion business and listening to their comments and advice. The show was absolutely fantastic, my family loved it. Winning an award was such a bonus!” – Egle Zepkinaite, FAD Award for Research

Elizabeth Prince's Illustration; Elizabeth Prince, Pendlton College;Aminata Kulufua, BSix College

Joel Boyd, Lewisham College;Joel & his model;Prash Muraleetharan, St Angela's & St Bonaventure's

The theme of the eclectic collection was ‘Arts & Crafts’ for a modern age. Citing musical muses such as Michael Jackson, Santigold, Pharrell Williams and Lady GaGa, the young designer’s outfits paired traditional influences from the V&A with their own unique commentary.

On the night three finalists – Joel Boyd (Lewisham College), Prash Muraleetharan (St Angela’s & St Bonaventure’s) and Aminata Kulufua (BSix College) - were also offered industry placements by Naomi Dominique, Design Director at River Island. This is the second year that River Island have supported the project in this way. In 2008 finalist Nadine Peters kept a diary about her experience working for the high street retailer, for FAD Stories.

“The show was great, so much talent in our schools! I believe they are talented, enthusiastic designers and I look forward to working with them, and helping to develop their skills” Naomi Dominique, Design Director at River Island

Lee-Anne Willoughby, St Francis Xavier 6th Form;Luke Harris, Crossways Academy;Nina Ehni, Pimlico Academy

Thoffa Khanom, Newham College;Kathleen Taafe, Pendleton College;Jacqueline Boakye, St Francis Xavier 6th Form

Models at FAD Junior Awards;Prash Muraleetharan & his model

Now in it's fifth year the project is heavily supported by industry, and on the evening there was a packed house at the Freemason’s Hall with guests from Harrods, ASOS.com, River Island, John Lewis and Grazia taking front row seats. Excited family, friends and teachers were also there to support the young designer’s debut at London Fashion Week.

Last year’s joint winner, Aysha Simpson, 18, returned to the stage to co-host the 2009 event. Now studying for a foundation at London College of Fashion, she spoke about her own personal experience of the project:

"Having taken part in Fashion Futures 2 last year I gained an awareness and confidence about my abilities both in terms of fashion design and construction as well as on a personal level, having been put in unfamiliar settings and working with new people. Also through the experiences F.A.D provided and the people I have met and continue to meet I have found that the big dreams of becoming a part of the fashion industry are in fact in the reach of everyday young people like myself.” – Aysha Simpson, 18, Joint winner of the 2008 FAD Junior Awards

2008 Winner Aysha Simpson & Joanne Matthews;Egle Zepkinaite being interviewed

Sara Sodnomjamts, Hampstead School; Kathleen Taafe, Pendleton College; Jenny Lam, Lewisham College

Miriam Mwangi, Award for Creativity; FAD Junior Awards Reception & Exhibition

In addition to Tuesday’s event, the 20 London finalists were given the opportunity to showcase their collection again – this time to thousands of people – when they took part in a catwalk show in Trafalgar Square in aid of London Peace Week.

Photography credits: Ian Gillet, Olga Glazik & Henry Mulhall

Watch the 2009 FAD Junior Awards catwalk show hosted by Vauxhall Fashion Scout:

FAD SUMMER SCHOOL

From urban cross stitch and graphic appliqués, to sculptural dresses and soft tailoring the contemporary Arts & Crafts theme was evident at this year’s FAD Summer School.

Held at Central Saint Martins (CSM) from 13th – 17th July, the 23 young finalists had a team of CSM tutors, technicians and student mentors on hand to guide them though five days of hectic sewing and construction.

A jury including industry experts from River Island, WGSN.com, John Lewis dropped by on the final day to meet the students, and deliberate over their finished designs.

All will be revealed next month, when the winners are announced at the 2009 FAD Junior Awards & catwalk show, taking place for the second year at Vauxhall Fashion Scout as part of their London Fashion Week schedule.

Scroll down to see the finalists in action and read what they thought of the experiance.

“This week’s been really good. I love it. I did Fashion Futures 1 in Year 10, and when I heard we could do the second one I really wanted to do it. It’s so great to get experience in the fashion industry, and especially for me coming from Salford where there is not a lot of ways into fashion, coming to London has been really, really good.” – Kathleen Taafe, Pendleton College, Salford

“I’m doing more things in my free time – printing and more fashion courses. It’s made me more into what I enjoy and convinced me to get more experience. I’m out there doing my best giving up my weekends to sort myself out” - Sara Sodnomjamts, Hampstead School

“We’ve done a bit of everything on this course. Met loads of people, who have talked to us about different areas. So even though we might not know loads about one thing, we have got to know a little bit about everything. It’s given me a really good insight.” – Sophie Ede, The Charter Sixth Form College

“Personally the project has made me a stronger person. Yesterday I felt like crying but I held back and just got on with it and that made me a lot more determined to achieve the finished result. To finish my garment.” – Kesoon Chance, BSix

“I think FAD is good, because this is the first course I have done where I don’t feel like a school child. On other courses, they can treat you like school children rather then individuals. With FAD it’s different. You can see yourself here, and know you are doing something properly and professionally.” – Nina Ehni, Pimlico Academy

“The project has helped me with things other then textiles, like punctuality for example. It really gets you on point with things like that.” - Prash Murale Etharan, St Angela's & St Bonaventures Sixth Form

“When I was at secondary school there was always extra stuff to do and I used to think I can’t be bothered. I’m not going to do it. But when my friend put my name down for this, and I realised it was fashion I decided to do it. Then when I started coming to the workshops I thought wow, this is really good. So FAD has really helped me a lot and changed my view. It’s also really helped me to skill build, socialise and gain confidence. The experience has been really, really good.” – Luke Harris, Crossways Academy

“I was really bad at sewing, so I have definitely got better at that. Understanding patterns, just going for it and not being scared of cutting something up because it might ruin it. Just doing it and seeing what happens.” – Lily Harriman, Camden School for Girls

“Being part of this has affected me. It’s definitely given me more confidence. I never thought I would ever be able to make a whole outfit, but I have. I know now if I put my mind to it, I can come out with really good things.” – Lee-Ann Willoughby, St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College

MEET THE FINALISTS

FAD are happy to introduce the talented finalists who will be taking part in this year's FAD Summer School and the 2009 FAD Junior Awards:

Prash Murale Etharan - St Angela's & St. Bonaventure's, Newham

Lee-Ann Willoughby - St. Francis Xavier 6th Form, Wandsworth

Joel Boyd - Lewisham College, Lewisham

Jenny Lam - Lewisham College, Lewisham

Egle Zepkinaite - City & Islington College, Islington

Sophie Ede - The Charter 6th Form College, Southwark

Katharine Ross - City & Islington College, Islington

Aminata Kulufua - BSix College, Hackney

Nina Ehni - Pimlico Academy, Westminster

Lizzie Prince - Pendleton College, Salford

Kathleen Taafe - Pendleton College, Salford

Sumayya Julium - Skinner's Company for Girls, Hackney

Luke Harris - Crossways Academy, Lewisham

Jacqueline Boakye - St Francis Xavier 6th Form, Wandsworth

Ruth Sullivan - Pendleton College, Salford

Lily Harriman - Camden School for Girls, Camden

Katerina Drury - Prendergast Hilly Fields College, Lewisham

Danielle Tunstall - Prendergast Hilly Fields College, Lewisham

Miriam Mwangi - NewVic 6th Form College, Newham

Thoffa Khanom - Newham College, Newham

Simone Hinds - Clapton Girl's Technology College, Hackney

A FASHIONABLE COLLABORATION

The 130 participants of this years Fashion Futures 2 project came together in a collaborative showcase at RichMix, East London on 14th May 2009.

Student's final toile designs on display at RichMix

Celebrating weeks of hard work, the Salford and London students presented their finished calico toiles to friends, family, teachers, industry guests and funders at the special event. Teenagers from 13 different London boroughs took part in the exhibition, illustrating how the Fashion Futures 2 project brings young people from all over the capital together.

It was also the first year that Salford was involved in the project, with FF2 participants from Eccles and Pendleton Colleges travelling down to London especially for the event.

Students were inspired by the principles of the Arts & Crafts movement

The walls featured an array of colourful mood boards and illustrations, alongside sketchbooks crammed with inspiration taken from FAD’s credit crunch inspired brief – ‘Arts & Crafts with a twist’. The final garments made for an impressive display of creative silhouettes and sophisticated cuts, proving how the standard of work this year was exceptionally high.

“I really liked having the opportunity to design my own garment without the limitations of a commercial pattern. I also really enjoyed the printing workshop and the draping session.” – Naomi Aylwin, Prendergast Hilly Fields College, Lewisham

Hackney Councillor and Chair of the City Fringe Partnership, Guy Nicholson, was a guest of honour. Before the finalists were announced, he gave an animated speech praising all the young people involved for their talent and dedication to the project.

Councillor Guy Nicholson chatting to Hackney students at the exhibition

As always, the young designers along with their families and tutors waited with anticipation to find out which lucky 23 students had made it through to the FAD Summer School at Central Saint Martins and the 2009 FAD Junior Awards and catwalk show. Bernie Yates, Widening Participation at Central Saint Martins presented the prizes to the successful teenagers - 10 from South London; 10 from North London and 3 from Salford.

“The best part of the course so far has been learning new skills, meeting more people from the fashion industry and getting advice for the future.” – Egle Zepkinaite, City & Islington College

Salford students travelled down to London to see their work exhibited

Building on the success of last year’s spectacular show, the 2009 FAD Junior Awards will once again take place at Vauxhall Fashion Scout as part of their official schedule for September’s London Fashion Week.

“I cant believe I’m a finalist – I’m in complete shock. It's given me a real confidence boost!. I can't wait to see my finished design on the catwalk; on a person with everyone watching. To go to Central St Martins will just be amazing!!.” – Sophie Ede, The Charter 6th Form College, Southwark

As well as showcasing their designs on the catwalk, the 23 finalists will also benefit from a unique Industry programme which will include visits to the Head offices of FAD supporters, River Island and John Lewis.

A paked house at Rich Mix as the finalists were announced

FAD's 2009 Fashion Futures 2 finalists

FF2 LAUNCHES IN GREATER MANCHESTER

Design workshop at Salford University

For the first time this year, FAD is delighted to have 30 students from Salford participating in the Fashion Futures 2 programme.

The students - who are studying at Eccles and Pendleton Colleges – are taking part in a condensed version of the London project and will spend an intensive week in workshops at Salford University from the 30th March.

On the 6th March 2009, Salford students travelled down to London to take part in their own study day at the V&A Museum, where they spent an afternoon researching the 'Arts & Crafts' inspired brief.

See more photos of the V&A Research Day in "FF2 in Action" - Research

Armed with sketchbooks crammed with inspiration and research, the students attended a one day design workshop on 16th March at Salford University. With the help of university fashion tutors, they spent the day developing their garment designs for the next stage of the course.

See more photos of the Salford design workshop in "FF2 in Action" - Garment Design

The young designers returned to the University of Salford on 30th March to begin the next, practical stage of the FF2 intensive course. On the first day they created a technical drawing of their garment and began work on creating their paper patterns.

See more photos of the Salford pattern cutting workshop in "FF2 in Action" - Pattern Cutting

The next stage involved piecing together their fashion visions to create a final toile, making the neccessary adjustments in time for the jury day.

See more photos of the Salford construction workshop in "FF2 in Action" - Garment Construction

On the last day students presented their final toiles, sketchbooks and mood boards to the jury panel. The Salford students excelled in both their research and creativity, making it a tough decision for the panel to select just three of the thirty to go through to Stage 2.

The Salford & London finalists will be announced at an exhibition of the FF2 participant's work, on 14th May 2009 at Rich Mix in East London.

Salford Jury Day

See more photos from the Salford Jury Day in "FF2 in Action" - Jury Day

WORKSHOPS

Read about the first stage of workshops in the FAD Newsletter below:

Stage one of Fashion Futures 2009 kicked off on 24th February 2009, with another inspiring study day at the V&A Museum in London. The event took place in the brand new ‘Sackler Centre’, a vibrant space designed specifically for public learning through creative design and the arts.

In London, nearly one hundred 16-18 year olds from across 12 different London boroughs are enrolled for the course, with practical workshops taking place at Hackney Community College(for students from Hackney, Islington, Newham, Camden and Tower Hamlets) and Lewisham College (for students from Lambeth, Wandsworth, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark) over the next ten weeks.

FAD is also happy to announce that for the first time this year, the Fashion Futures 2 programme will also be running at Salford University, with a group of 30 teenagers from colleges in the region.

The Brief: Arts & Crafts with a twist

The Arts & Crafts movement was one of the most far-reaching and influential design movements of modern times. The movement promoted social values and community practice. Its goal was to create affordable, handmade goods that reflected the imagination and individuality of the maker. Its design principles included:

• Using simple forms
• Taking nature as a source of pattern
• Preserving and emphasising the natural qualities of materials

There are lots of similarities between now and then. The 2009 recession is already having a noticeable effect on fashion trends, with designers moving away from over the top style in favour of simple, handcrafted design.

Students have been asked to explore both the principles and design of the Arts & Crafts movement to inspire their toile designs. To give their research a contemporary twist, the young designers have also been asked to design their garments for a ‘musical muse’ (singer/band) of their choice.

"FF2 in Action" - Garment Construction

FF2 in Action

The practical workshops will cover everything from figure drawing, print and fashion illustration to draping, pattern cutting and sewing, and will culminate in an exhibition of all students’ work at Rich Mix, on 14th May 2009.

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

Funded by Aspire, Fairtrade Fashion Club took place at Northbrook School, Lewisham in May 2009.

Funded by Aspire, Fairtrade Fashion Club took place at Bonus Pastor School, Lewisham in June 2009.

On Wednesday 10th June, FAD celebrated this year’s Fairtrade Fashion Club with a special event at The Hub in Canning Town.

Pupils from the four participating schools in Newham – Cumberland, Eastlea, Royal Docks and St.Angela’s – were invited along with their families, friends and teachers to join in the numerous activities on offer.

From trying on colourful Ghanaian dress and learning to play the ‘talking drums’, to making greeting cards and accessories using Adinkra symbol stamps, there was plenty to keep guests entertained.

Fairtrade Fashion Club Newsletter

Talking drum demonstration and speech by Flame Tree's Lesley Somers

Speeches were made by John Middleton of London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) who expressed the importance of the project for developing skills and awareness of the retail industry, while Lesley Somers founder of The Flame Tree spoke about the cooperative in Tumu, and why fair-trade is so important in fashion.

Ethical fashion designer, Julia Smith, was also on hand to talk about her fair-trade label ‘Made in Africa’. Her organic cotton dresses are hand-printed by a cooperative in Akra, the capital of Ghana, and sold by Topshop in their London store.

Making cards using traditional Adinkra symbols

Exhibition of the Fairtrade Fashion Club in schools

Fairtrade chocolate company Divine also had a stand at the event. They work with a cooperative of cocoa farmers in Ghana called the Kaapo Kokoo to produce their delicious chocolate. Students were able to enjoy free samples, while also learning about the process the farmers go through to harvest the cocoa beans.

Making accessories from Flame Tree cooperative cloth

Divine chocolate stand

Ethical designer Julia Smith admiring students fairtrade designs

FAD would like to thank everyone involved in this special fairtrade event, especially our funders LTGDC who have made this creative exchange possible.

Eastlea School

Fairtrade Fashion Club took place at Eastlea School during April and May 2009.