About Fashion Futures

Fashion Futures is a series of fashion workshops targeted at 14 to 19 year old students as well as adult learners and school leavers in disadvantaged areas around London. The project offers an opportunity to provide both theoretical concepts and practical skills in design, styling, portfolio creation, etc., that instils creative talent and offers an alternative career path in fashion. Fashion Futures fosters teamwork, creativity, self-esteem, positive attitude, a sense of achievement and pride in the participant’s own originality and creative work in an environment that offers very few opportunities. So far, these workshops have been conducted in the community areas of London such as Lambeth, Hackney, and FAD has worked in collaboration with the London College of Fashion to support the various activities in these boroughs.

Fashion Futures is a niche project well received by schools, teachers, students and the community. It supplements learning skills and provides resources not readily available at local schools. It contributes towards the National Curriculum as the workshops support Key Stage 4 in the area of textiles technology. Students find the course motivational and confidence boosting; it fosters their creativity and gives them opportunities to meet and interact with students from different schools. One of the students said: “In this project I enjoyed most making the dress and also the fashion show we did afterwards. I think that the whole project was excellent.”, “I would like to thank everyone who has made this enjoyable course a dream come true. It has helped me a lot with my future career.” (Joanne Adamu, Our Lady's Convent High School)

Katie Stewart, textiles teacher at Stoke Newington Media Arts College has taken 14 pupils to the Hackney workshops. “The workshops are helping students to get key design skills. Students are learning about inspiration, creativity in design and integrity; team work has been great and their self-esteem and confidence has gone up. I think that at least half of the students in this group will go into design courses.”

The workshops take place at the London College of Fashion. The work covers the process of fashion design from the very outset through to completion with a catwalk piece showed at the final day catwalk. Other skills covered by the course included photography and video.

For further information on Fashion Futures
and Fashion Awareness Direct contact

Reyes Lora
reyes@fad.org.uk

Maria Alvarez
maria@fad.org.uk

or telephone 0870 751 4449