Wednesday 23rd January 2019

Dear all,

With show season in full flow – the men’s collections, haute couture, various trade shows and soon the women’s ready-to-wear schedule our thoughts turn to the designer brand and businesses with longevity. With every season new brand names appear and then just several years down the line disappear without a trace. It’s true to say that starting out isn’t the only hurdle when it comes to this business called fashion and while ‘launching to last’ is the intention of many – a high proportion don’t make it past the three-year mark. Don’t let this happen to you! Here at FashionCapital we are extremely fortunate to have a team of mentors with an incredible amount of industry expertise and experience…

‘How To Build A Successful Brand’ with Caren Downie

Caren Downie is one of the most influential women in British fashion. Her previous roles have included Buying Director at Topshop, where she also initiated the now renowned NewGen sponsorship scheme. Following this Caren became the Fashion Director at ASOS.com and worked within a team that grew ASOS from 0.9 million customers to 5 million in four years, she then launched the highly successful womenswear brand Finery London and is now the founder of ByOcular specialising in tailor-made optical frames.In her two-hour masterclass ‘How To Build A Successful Brand’ on the 31^st January Caren advises and guides with her insider knowledge. She will discuss what buyers are looking for, how to successfully build up a brand, generate loyal customers and sales and how to overcome fundamental difficulties. Caren has delivered this Masterclass on a regular basis and tailors her advice to individuals that attend.

Feedback from previous attendees:

“Thank you very much for giving such an inspiring and also authentic talk today. It was very engaging and has posed lots of pressing questions and considerations for me prior to my launch. Just what I needed.” – Alice

“I have learnt lots about business which I will take away with me. Loved it very, very informative.” – Humeera

“I have learnt the importance of developing a strong clear brand that you can present confidently. To have integrity and go slowly with selling and production, build it steadily and conscientiously. Do lots of research!” – Jackie

To book your place on this informative masterclass click here.

 

Yet again splashed all over the press is the news that the “#IWannaBeASpiceGirl Comic Relief charity T-shirts were produced by workers in sweatshop conditions. Surely it’s time for retailers, charities and brands need to take note and ensure the factories that they use are fully compliant and ethical. We are proud of our transparent, SMETA approved, fast fashion audited factory and we are proof that fashion can be produced ethically and affordably in Britain today.

Click here to read London Fashion Week: Ethics and Sustainability featured on FashionInformation.com by Lester – our factory and CEO is mentioned in the last paragraph of this industry positive piece.

Come and visit our factory, to enquire about a site visit for your students, staff or to discuss a more in-depth, tailor-made workshop, please contact education@fashion-enter.com

 

Today (23rd January) shortlisted applicants for the Mountain Warehouse Garment Tech apprenticeship post are being interviewed by the Mountain Warehouse team. Taking place at the Fashion Technology Academy the applicants will learn about the apprenticeship programme and be assessed for the role. Good luck!

FashionCapital & Fashion Enter Ltd CEO Jenny Holloway has been invited as a guest speaker at the ‘Make It Happen Spain 2019 Conference’. Coinciding with International Women’s Day the conference brings a mix of interviews, speakers, stands, networking and sunshine opportunities. Jenny will discuss who are the real Belles of London and the ethos behind the in-house brand, she will also share her top tips for fashion business start-ups. The conference takes place on the 8^th March in Marbella, Spain. For more information click here.

 

Taking place on Thursday 7th March long established Fashion Forecaster Lester DC Pedersen, will reveal the process of developing trends from research through to finished product design.

The Masterclass will include: + A unique, behind-the-scenes look at the research and analysis that form fashion trends. + TRENDZOOM – presentation of the key colours and trends for Spring/Summer 2020. + Techniques to get the best out of forecasting and how to apply this information to your brand. + How to develop your own personal style of trend forecasting to keep your brand on track.
To find out more and book this masterclass click here.

 

The next two-day Digital Pattern Grading course with Vetigraph is due to take place at the Fashion Technology Academy on the 18th and 19th March from 10am – 4pm each day. The intensive course is ideal for either beginners or those with prior experience that need to build on their skills. Topics covered will include: Digitising trouser skirt & dress; Pattern adjustments; Fit amendments on software; Introducing grading; How to read a spec; Grade skirt, trouser & dress; Dummy grading & production grading; Costings & marker making and Extra patterns to grade.

To find out more and book click here.

To find out more and book click here.

To find out more and book click here.

Plus…

Della’s first stage masterclass took place with a full house at FashionCapital HQ last week, the two-hour seminar delivered powerful insights into the first steps of setting up a brand. She will now be following this with two further sessions packed with essential information and advice.

PR can be a minefield when starting a new business, from influencers to press releases to gaining those all important industry contacts. On Thursday 21st February Rosie Davis, Founder of PR Dispatch & LFA, The Lifestyle and Fashion Agency, will host an exclusive masterclass How To Do Your Own PR.

We now have February dates for the next Gerber Accumark Digital Pattern Making for Beginners course. The three-day course takes place on Saturday’s from 10am – 3pm and knowledge gained in Gerber is considered a valuable asset by industry.

The February three-day course takes place on 2nd, 9th and 23rd February click here for more details.

TR Pattern Cutting Taster Masterclass