Fashion Needs to be ‘Leaner, Smarter and Cleaner’
05-06-2019
Newsletter 5th June 2019
Dear all,
Hello #WorldEnvironmentDay!
Climate Change, Plastic Pollution, Save Our Bees…the list goes on about the impact we are having on the environment, fashion being in the top 10 of worst industry offenders. Fashion Capital CEO Jenny Holloway comments:
“Nearly 20% of global waste water is produced by the fashion industry according to the United Nations Partnership on Sustainable Fashion. We need to be leaner, smarter and cleaner in fashion and that means making to demand and not guessing demand. Making in the UK means we can keep volumes low so a product sells out at full price – so garments are cherished and worn for as long as possible. Sustainable short run fashion beautifully made in the UK is the way ahead.”
Sustainability On the Agenda at GFW 2019
We are fresh back from Graduate Fashion Week 2019 at the Truman Brewery where sustainability heavily featured across the board. Graduates from all fashion disciplines from marketing and communication to photography and design explored the sustainable theme, which aside from Brexit, has been the most dominant news story this year. CEO Jenny Holloway gave a talk on the ‘Considered Design Hub’ stand on ‘What an ethical UK Factory looks like’ while Chantelle attend catwalk shows and visited the various stands.
Attendee Karolina Najdek commented on Jenny’s talk: “Thank-you for your talk at Graduate Fashion Week, it was very informative. You made me aware of issues that I didn’t realise existed.”
Click here to read more about GFW 2019 and good luck to the shortlisted graduates for tonight’s awards ceremony.
Factory & Fashion Studio Open Day
Well done to Kate Hills and the Make It British Live! team, the 2-day event which took place on 29th & 30th May, had a fantastic turnout and was full of budding, new start-up fashion brands wanting to source UK production and fabrics. The success of the event was so great we are now holding an Open Day on the 20th of June to invite new clients to visit the Factory and Fashion studio.
Tailoring Academy Gains Grant Funding
Eastman Staples provides a broad range of production machinery and haberdashery for professional and student use, the company also owns Kennett & Lindsell (K&L), the long-established and leading name in high quality mannequins. Collectively along with K Sewing, Eastman Staples and K&L have agreed to provide solid investment for the new Tailoring Academy, the first of its kind in the UK, which will provide sought-after skills and job opportunities for the next generation of British tailors.
Andrew Kyprianou from Eastman Staples and K&L said: “I was the first machine supplier to Fashion Enter when they first opened their small unit at Mavros House in 2008. Over the last 11-years they have grown to become a high quality garment manufacturer that is fully compliant and ethical. During this time Eastman has grown to become a multi-million company that continues to grow via acquisitions and mergers. This is an exciting time for Eastman and the support of £50,000 grant funding is to show our commitment to a new generation of skilled people that is needed to ensure the successful growth of the Made in Britain brand.”
This is brilliant news for the Tailoring Academy – due to open in September this year.
Ongoing Developments with Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
On the 4th April the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) held a meeting with key individuals from the UK’s retail and textile manufacturing sector, including Fashion Enter / FashionCapital CEO Jenny Holloway. Ian Waterfield opened the meeting with the following key objectives: to raise industry standards, develop strategies to tackle exploitation, identify those not complying with standards and attract new people to the industry. As a company we are dedicated to raising and implementing ethical standards across the fashion and textile manufacturing sector and will be attending further development meetings on the 27th June plus others to follow in September and December. To find out more click here for the full article.
Francie Casey Back for a Placement
Francie Casey enrolled with the Fashion Technology Academy back in 2015 after the Stitching Academy Level 1 course was recommended to him by the Department for Work and Pensions. He has since flourished, not only in terms of his design and production skills but in confidence and drive to carve his own niche in the world of fashion. Francie continued to develop his fashion skills and is currently on a BA Hons Fashion Illustration course at the London College of Fashion. As a part of his course Francie had to undertake an industry placement, and of course we were happy to oblige.
Francie comments: “I would like to thank-you once again for letting me do the fashion media placement at Fashion Enter, and additionally creating the role for me as a creative assistant to the in-house designer Beth Davy Day – who has been amazing.”
Students from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas Visit the Factory
Last week, 29th May, the Fashion Enter team welcomed 2 lecturers and 16 students all the way from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas for a ‘Factory Uncovered’ tour and insight into every stage of the fashion manufacturing process.
Production Director Caroline said: “The students have spent over a week here enriching their education and learning how the UK works in relation to fashion. I really enjoyed their visit and seeing another countries slant on manufacturing.”
Caroline Lebelif – Studying Fashion design at Stephen F. Austin State University commented: “I learnt the importance of how a factory works and the process of manufacturing, the tour was very interesting and I learnt a lot. Caroline you were incredible.”
Staff News
Pattern cutter Dymphna Harrison is about to start her maternity leave, while Development Director Jennifer Sutton has now begun her official maternity leave, she is due any day now and we wish them both the very best of luck.
CFE X Fashion Enter Colloborative Workshop
Masterclasses Coming Soon…
TR PatternCutting Taster 29th June
Claudette Joseph has been using and teaching TR pattern cutting for seven years, she is a five times TR Master and a three times TR Super Master, she holds regular classes and workshops in this highly creative form of pattern cutting. Claudette regularly teaches this popular taster course at the Fashion Technology Academy, the next three-hour taster session will take place on Saturday 29th June from 10am – 1pm.
Gerber AccuMark Digital Pattern Making Course for Beginners 7th, 14th and 21st September
The Gerber AccuMark For Beginners is a 15-hour course that will provide you with the skills required for the workplace and within the industry. Led by two leading industry experts who have more than 30-years Gerber experience between them. It is a three-day course, which takes place on Saturday’s from 10am – 3pm.
Advanced 2-Day Gerber Course12th and 19th October
Take on as much or as little as you like with our new Follow-On Gerber course. Get into the nitty-gritty depths of the Pattern Design and Explorer and/or continue with your own journey of drafting and amending patterns.
Fabric Swatch of the Week
This week we’ve picked out this Amalia spun poly printed jersey in vibrant red
– perfect for those summer evenings. Available now via the FCFabricStudio.com at £4.30 a metre.
This Week on FashionCapital.co.uk
In fashion industry news this week…Retail giant Topshop is to close all of its US stores, Marc Jacobs launches a new affordable clothing label and H&M unveils its latest designer collaboration – it’s all in this week’s Fashion Fix.
The team report from Make It British Live 2019, the 2-day showcase of the best of British manufacturers and producers of textiles, clothing and homeware.
And Chantelle takes a look at the exhibition stands, talks and catwalk shows at Graduate Fashion Week 2019.
And Finally…
The Belles of London team have been busy photographing the next three capsule collections due to drop online very soon. In the meantime Silk Fred inform us that the Daisy maxi dress from Jenny Beth’s collection has been the latest summer best seller.
