Investing in Skills and Fostering Purpose
20-07-2025
Newsletter 11th June 2025
Bearing Gifts With HMP Leicester
Fashion-Enter Ltd has a long-established relationship with prisons, staff and inmates, across the UK. From training up staff that teach stitching and cutting to working with ex-offenders on skills and apprenticeships. Over the last few months FEL has been working with HMP Leicester on a powerful initiative, called Bearing Gifts, that brings together rehabilitation, enterprise, and community impact.
Developed through the innovative Bars to Business programme, Bearing Gifts empowers prisoners to repurpose textile waste into beautifully handcrafted patchwork teddy bears. Each bear sold funds the donation of a twin bear to a child in need, creating a symbolic and tangible bridge of empathy between prisoners and the wider community.
On Friday 27th June 2025, HMP Leicester will welcome guests for the official launch of Bearing Gifts, the event offers a unique opportunity to witness transformation in action. Guests will hear from Patrick (Paddy), the prisoner whose creativity and determination sparked the idea. Attendees will also tour the prison workshop, where the bears are made, and meet the dedicated team and partners behind the project.
With expert training from Fashion-Enter Ltd’s – Fashion Technology Academy, participants gain industry-recognised qualifications that provide a vital stepping stone toward employment or entrepreneurship upon release.
Read more about this impactful initiative here.
FEL X Threads of Elegance
FEL is thrilled to be a major partner on the Threads of Elegance, Conserving the Legacy of Beale & Inman Tailors, project. Led by Westminster City Archives, this 2-year project aims to conserve and celebrate the legacy of Beale & Inman tailors, while engaging the local community. Activities including beginner sewing workshops, craft events, sustainability talks & clothing swaps, guided walks, exhibition visits and hands-on activities through crowdsourced conservation days, where volunteers help preserve the collection.
A key focus is a career taster programme for SEN students, introducing them to the textile industry. By reviving the legacy of the historic Beale and Inman tailors, the project fosters intergenerational learning, enabling young people to gain hands-on experience in textile design, historical research and sustainable practices.
The initiative will culminate in a public exhibition at Westminster City Hall in summer 2027, showcasing participants’ skills and reinterpreting this historic legacy.
More on this partnership soon.
Islington Sustainability Network Member
FEL’s FC Designer Workspace, offering affordable studios, courses, workshops in its fully equipped Islington hub has been invited to become an Islington Sustainability Network member. FC Designer Workspace, along with its sister shop, will be able to access resources and projects that support sustainable initiatives and practices as well as the local community.
FEL Supports Ellesse X GFW Competition Winners
(From last year’s GFW X Ellesse Competition produced at FEL)
Good luck to all those fashion and textile graduates taking part in their end-of-year shows and the Graduate Fashion Week platform, taking place this week 13th – 16th June. FEL, once again, has supported on sampling and production for the Ellesse X GFW competition winners.
The three winners:
1st place: Seren Still—Bath Spa University
2nd place: George Light—Nottingham Trent University
3rd place: Xuanhao Yi—UCA Epsom
Each graduate had selected designs sampled and manufactured at FEL and the results will be showcased at the Graduate Fashion Week exhibition and gala show.
Congratulations to the winners, 1st place winner Seren Still has also won a paid placement with the Ellesse global team in London, while 2nd place winner George Light will receive mentorship from the Ellesse team.
To find out more about GFW this weekend tap here.
If you need support with sampling and production please contact FEL’s Fashion Studio team, tap here for further information.
De Montfort Fashion Students and Kornit Digital Spotlight
(DMU – Giselle Kandekore X Kornit Digital image by Felicity West)
FEL’s recent Leicester Made trade event included a catwalk show organised by the Leicester Fashion Week team. Alongside local designers @sekinaholatunji @midetushbespoke @ammagi.attire @houseofboj @frocktalesltd, the catwalk featured a striking collaboration between De Montfort University (DMU) BA (Hons) Fashion Textile Design students and global print technology leader Kornit Digital.
The designers featured in this collaboration included: Alanna Doyle, Isabelle Barton, Giselle Kandekore, Elizabeth Osborne and Lololi Quashigah, their designs exemplified what’s possible when education, industry, and innovation converge. It was also fantastic to see Elizabeth Osborne’s design used as the primary image in the Vogue Business article: Made in Leicester: How do you rebuild after a supply chain scandal? published 22 May 2025.
To find out more and see images from this collaboration tap here.
Good luck to the DMU students showing at GFW on Saturday 14th June.
Next Week 17 June – Free Masterclass
Join us next week for our free, online masterclass: Mastering the Fashion Business Blueprint: Fine-tuning Your Plan for Success. Taking place Tuesday 17th June from 10 – 11, hear all about; operational strategies, management structure, risk assessment, and implementation plans. Gain the important knowledge you need to know to finalise business plans and successfully run your own fashion business.
Tap here to register your free place and a Zoom link to join this masterclass will be sent closer to the date.
Roll-on and Short Courses
Roll-on courses:
Available at all campuses Islington, Haringey and Leicester.
Diploma in Fashion Design and Business
Patterns:
16th June – 4-Day Pattern Adaptation Course – FC Designer Workspace – £150 + eventbrite fees
Stitching:
18th June – 3-Day Introduction into Sewing and Garment Making – FC Designer Workspace – £135 + eventbrite fees
21st June – Saturday Stitching Club Introduction to Sewing – FC Designer Workspace – £45 + eventbrite fees
Draping:
26th July & 2nd Aug – Introduction to Draping in 2 Saturday sessions – FC Designer Workspace – £90 + eventbrite fee
Illustration:
12th & 19th July – Introduction to Fashion Illustration in 2 Sessions – FC Designer Workspace – £90 + eventbrite fees
Upcycling:
13th June – 1-Day Beginners Upcycle Workshop – FC Designer Workspace – £45 + eventbrite fees
24th June – Free Repair and Upcycle Drop In – FC Designer Collective shop – Free – please register
For all course enquiries contact: education@fashion-enter.com or call 0208 809 3311
This Week on FashionCapital…
New figures provide optimism for UK Fashion Manufacturers
And Finally…
FEL Director Caroline Ash has been busy with groups of students and industry professionals attending her Factory Uncovered CPPD visits and educational tours. Over the past two weeks she has had groups from New York, Texas, Minnesota, London and Leicester visit FEL’s headquarters in Haringey to learn all about ethical production, AI – Style3D, Maeknit, repairs, reprocessing and more. Tap here to find out more about FEL’s Factory Uncovered onsite learning experience.
And finally, Sanna from FEL’s FTA Leicester was at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre to promote Skills Bootcamp, workshops and courses. Sanna bumped into MP Shivani Raja – and discussed her recent, negative comment about Leicester’s fashion and textile industry that appeared in Vogue Business. Raja listened and has agreed to come and visit FEL’s Leicester academy in the near future…watch this space!
Until next time, have a great week.
From the Team at FashionCapital
