Less abled is not a Disability in the World of Fashion!

The new recruits are all ex-Remploy staff. Remploy was established in 1945 under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and originally provided employment opportunities in factories around the country to disabled ex-miners and soldiers returning from the Second World War.

Working closely with Remploy Employment Services which supports disabled and disadvantaged people to enter mainstream employment, Fashion-Enter has been training three people for machining and two for packing and inspection of garments. This follows the announcement in March 2012 that Remploy would be withdrawing subsidies to Remploy’s 54 factories, in line with recommendations made in the Sayce Review of specialist disability employment programmes.

Monika at The Fashion Studio

Jenny Holloway, Director Fashion Enter commented:

“It’s been a delight to work with Nigel, Glenford, Monica, Robert and Lilji. They are all fabulous hardworking people and being less-abled has not stopped each and everyone of them being retrained. We have been delighted with John Lewis’s funding support to help with the ongoing retraining process.Our factory in North London currently produces over 5000 garments a week for clients such as asos.com, John Lewis and Topshop. To strengthen this work force with the Ex Remploy staff makes perfect sense for all concerned.”

Christine Kasoulis, director, brand development at John Lewis added: 

“We are proud of our longstanding relationship with Fashion-Enter; a UK based manufacture that supplies to our business. We are delighted to show further support to Fashion-Enter with a cash donation to help support the launch of  this social enterprise scheme. I wish all the new recruits the best of luck with their on going training and roles.”

Fashion Enter is hoping to expand further its provision for employing less-abled people and is currently recruiting for pressers at the Factory. The feedback from the new employees has been very encouraging and also very rewarding

Monica commented:

“I have so enjoyed my training at Fashion-Enter. It has opened up new opportunities for me and I really thought I would never work again after Remploy closed its factory. Thank-you to everyone concerned.”

Lilji at The Factory

Lilji said: 

“I was working in engineering before soldering indoor frames. I never thought I would be working in fashion and working in ladies dresses! I have really enjoyed my training and now I am employed full time. We are all a team together and I love my job.”

 

ABOUT FASHION-ENTER

Fashion Enter offers the fashion industry:

• 7,500sqft factory in Haringey, north London, producing 7,500 garments a week

• The Fashion Studio for toiling, grading, sampling and small production runs

• The largest training provider in the country for the Apprenticeship in Fashion & Textiles

• Training and support for today’s talented designers, retailers, manufacturers and NEETs.

• FashionCapital.co.uk global fashion portal and online community

• FCBboutique.co.uk, and retail site exclusively for new British fashion designers

• PROFILE fashion show

 

ABOUTJOHNLEWIS

The John Lewis Partnership – The John Lewis Partnership operates 39 John Lewis shops across the UK (30 department stores and nine John Lewis at home), johnlewis.com, 255 Waitrose supermarkets, 35 Waitrose convenience stores, waitrose.com and business to business contracts in the UK and abroad.  The business has annual gross sales of over £9.5bn.  It is the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership where all 84,700 staff are Partners in the business.

John Lewis – John Lewis, ‘Retailer of the Year 2013’* and ‘Multichannel Retailer of the Year 2013’*, typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores.  The website stocks over 200,000 products focused on the best of fashion, beauty, home and giftware and electrical items including online exclusives.  johnlewis.com is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. (www.johnlewis.com).  John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products – home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover – delivering the usual values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.

* Oracle Retail Week Awards 2013

For press enquires and hi res images please contact jenni@fashion-enter.com / 0208 462 9620