We specialise in running professional fashion workshops and competitions for 13 – 25 year olds, working with creative young people throughout their education from secondary school and college to university. Our main initiatives are:

Fairtrade Fashion Club (FFC) for 13-14 yrs

Fashion Futures (1) for 14–15 yrs

Fashion Futures (2) for 16-18 yrs

FAD Competition for undergraduates

FAD Volunteering & Mentoring scheme

Our aim is to provide young people with a realistic insight into what it means to work in fashion. From hands on workshops and industry days to high profile catwalk events, they learn important practical skills while also developing the confidence and experience they need to succeed in the future.

The ethos that underpins all of our initiatives is to make the person central to design, promoting respect for the wearer and integrating art and culture into fashion. Our challenging briefs encourage young people to explore new cultures and areas of research, inspiring intelligent design and individual expression.

The FAD Volunteering scheme enables young people and professionals to ‘give back’ to their communities through fashion. For industry volunteers this can mean donating time, valuable knowledge, materials or funding. For young volunteers, often past FAD participants themselves, volunteering is a good chance to learn more about the industry and develop contacts, while mentoring and inspiring others to succeed.

To date FAD has worked with more than 5,000 young people; 85 secondary schools/sixth form colleges and 46 fashion colleges/universities across the UK. FAD’s projects are well respected by both the fashion industry and the educational sector and we count with the support of many fashion professionals, teachers, local authorities and funding bodies.

Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) is a registered educational charity (Charity number 1112095) with a proven approach to helping young people to further their education and widen their curriculum, and to bridge the gap between education and industry. Our objective is: “ The advancement of education in fashion design and related subjects by creating a culture which promotes the dignity, true worth and beauty of the individual through projects, activities, lectures, publications and events.”