Why I Came Back to Fashion – Enter Ltd – A True Social Enterprise 

Fashion-Enter Ltd’s (FEL) Fashion Studio Assistant, Gee Fletcher, explains why she felt it was important to return to the company…

‘Earlier this year I left FEL to go and explore what the other side of fashion manufacturing was like, and even though the job taught me a lot, I just felt it wasn’t inspiring my creative side as such. 

‘After a few months I got in touch with Jenny (Holloway) to see if I could come back to FEL as I missed the team so much and missed guiding inspiring, new designers through the ethical manufacturing process from start to finish, and luckily, she welcomed me back!

‘I love my job, I have learnt so much from starting as an apprentice 5-years ago in the factory, working closely with the senior garment tech Elle and the factory manager Chris, then to working my way up to assisting in the Fashion Studio with Claire – who has the most inspiring brain and work ethic!

‘Over my time here I have worked closely with Jenny and the team on charity projects, such as Crisis, an Equestrian that supports children with disabilities, Tottenham Food Bank, Mulberry Junction and many more to come. 

‘Last Christmas we had a kind donation from one of our studio clients Alex. He donated metres and metres of fleece fabric which we encouraged the students (with the help of our tutors) to stitch huge hooded ponchos for the homeless, which we then donated to Haringey’s homeless support centre (Mulberry Junction). This was a really fun project, and the lovely staff at Mulberry Junction were very grateful. 

‘This year we will be getting everyone from the factory involved in donating to Tottenham Food Bank again as I truly believe that giving to others, even if it’s the smallest thing in your cupboard goes such a long way and in times like this, we need to support each other as a community. 

‘Jenny has given me many opportunities; we are currently working on new projects together. The current project that we are excited about is teaming up with UK national charity – Crisis. 

‘We have been making an effort to reduce landfill by repurposing deadstock garments and offering a ‘Mystery Upcycling Pack’. We offer 3 garments and a few different funky trims so the customer can upcycle the garments into anything they like! The money from the Mystery Packs will get donated to Crisis. We are also collaborating with them to make tote bags from deadstock fabrics, which again when sold, the money will get donated towards ending homelessness. 

‘We will also be volunteering for the day at a Savile Row X Crisis pop up in December.  

‘The reason I love working for Fashion-Enter Ltd is because I see how genuine and caring Jenny is and how she is so passionate about providing a reason for people to get out of bed in the morning, by offering things such as free courses to people that just need to be given a chance. 

‘I’m proud to work for such a cool social enterprise. Your job is such a huge part of your day-to-day life, so working for a company that is in line with my personal ethics is very important to me. I’m super positive about what’s to come and what we can achieve through teaming up with other organisations, so if anybody has any ideas, please give me an email and we will work together to positively change the world!’