Supporting Tomorrow’s Brands Today
25-01-2023
Newsletter 25th January 2023
Expert Advice – Building A Fashion Brand
This morning FEL CEO Jenny Holloway was joined by SilkFred brand scouts Clarissa Clarke-Williams and Abbey Bingham to present a free masterclass on ‘Building a Fashion Brand.’ Packed full of need-to-know advice this fully-booked session, held at the FC Designer Workspace, was also available to watch online.
Jenny said: “Helping and informing fashion brand start-ups with all the essential, up-to-date information they need is what FEL is all about. The fashion industry is tough, particularly in today’s economic climate, however with the right concept and business knowledge it is possible to generate a successful business. Thank-you to SilkFred for joining us and sharing their top tips.”
Don’t miss out on next months free, informative masterclass: 12 Step Plan to Develop and Create a Fashion Collection including a tour of our Fashion Studio via Zoom
Save the Date…
20th – 26th March we will be joining forces with Islington Council this London Repair Week with community daily repair sessions at our shop FC Designer Collective, 113-115 Fonthill Road, N4.
Jenny said: “The FEL team are excited to encourage clothing repair and recycling in their community. A big thank-you to Islington Council for making these classes a reality.”
Repair & Upcycling Workshop is Back!
Next month we welcome back the popular Repair and Upcycling workshop at the FC Designer Workspace in Islington. We are now charging a small fee of £10 per session to guarantee attendance and regulate numbers. The team can’t wait to meet and teach more people these much-needed skills.
If you would like to join this session on Friday 17th February 10am – 2pm please book via this link.
FEL’s Top Tips for Sustainable Fashion Lovers in 2023:
1 – Buy preloved or secondhand
2 – Learn to repair and upcycle
3 – Check the label, try to stick to one fibre, mixed fibres are harder to recycle
4 – Shop local, support independents and Made in the UK
5 – Clothes swap with family and friends
6 – Always recycle – there are many places to do this
7 – Only buy new if you are sure the item will gain plenty of wear
Affordable Workspaces in Islington
At the FC Designer Workspace we offer studio space to creatives at incredibly low prices. With all the financial increases across the board we strive to make this viable for all concerned. If you are interested in a studio for your creative business tap here to find out more.
Level 2 at FCFTA Leicester
The FCFTALeicester is delighted to be able to offer FREE qualifications in Level 1 and Level 2 certificates in Fashion and Textiles. Learners have just begun the new Level 2 course this week.
Additionally FCFTA Leicester also provides:Studio Rental – this includes full use of industrial machines, mannequins, cutting table and presses from £5 an hour, £25 a day or £100 a week, plus a 1-week intro course in garment making and industrial sewing for £100 including tutoring.
To take advantage of these fantastic offers please get in contact with: divya@fashion-enter.com
TSA – PPE Repair Workshop at FCFTA Leicester
FCFTA Leicester is delighted to be welcoming TSA (Technical Services Association) to a 2-day workshop next week. This workshop has been created by Fashion-Enter and TSA. This course is to support the repair of PPE and workwear, in many cases some garments are too damaged to repair and there is a degree of wear and tear. This course will support learners make decisions on if a garment is repairable and then how to carry out the repair.
Deputy CEO Jackie said: “It’s great to be able to support TSA on this workshop. The class of 10 will be able to get hands-on repair practice along with talks from industry experts.”
If you would like to book FCFTA Leicester for a workshop or Technical Residency please do get in touch: jackie@fashion-enter.com
High Quality Printing on Demand
A warm welcome to new client Vivien of Holloway. This vibrant label is inspired by the glamour of the 40s and 50s and includes bespoke prints perfect for our sustainable Kornit printer right here in north London.
CEO Jenny commented: “We really welcome Vivien of Holloway to the Factory. Vivien lives and breathes her brand with her popular 1950s inspired prints for her dresses. It’s great to be receiving orders from new brands!”
If you are in need of affordable and ethical fabric / garment printing please contact: callum@fashion-enter.com for further details.
Masterclasses and Courses
New to our masterclass calendar is a creative draping course with designer and tutor – Ismail Erbil. Over 4-Saturday’s learn a variety of beneficial draping techniques that:
+ Reduces the use of fabric
+ Provides an organic, creative way to design to the shape of the body
+Opens a designer’s mind to new ideas away from the restrictions of 2d
+ Can be used to create both couturier or commercial fashion
+ Helps to create a basic block from the body rather than flat or computer pattern
+ Gives a deeper understanding of the body form
+ Is a fantastic communication tool between a designer and pattern cutter
For more information on this masterclass tap here.
More Masterclassess…
Ongoing Stitching, Patterns and Tailoring throughout 2023
13th February: 4 Day Beginners Sewing and Upcycling Workshop
17th February: Repair and Upcycle Workshop
22nd February: 12 Step Plan to Develop and Create a Fashion Collection including a tour of our Fashion Studio with Jenny Holloway, Claire Solley and Agnes Szepligeti (Free)
25th February: 4 Week Saturday Draping Course
22nd March: UK V’s Overseas Sourcing, Development and Production with Jackie Bertram (Free)
10th April: 4 Day Beginners and Upcycling Workshop
26th April: 10 Strategies to Create an Ethical Brand from Yarn Sourcing to Works Rights’ with Caroline Ash (Free)
24th May: Top 10 Tips to Create a Strong Team and Partnership with Your Manufacturer with Caroline Ash (Free)
Pick of the Week
This week we head to the kitchen with our ethically made, quality aprons, made by our Welsh team. We love seeing our customers wearing and using the range, how cute do these two look in our Spyce Jones children’s aprons! Tap here to take a look at the aprons and more.
This Week on FashionCapital…
New Research Reveals the Textiles Industry Neglecting E and S of ESG
And Finally…
If you are female, based in London, and would like to gain new skills in stitching and upcycling in textiles then you could be eligible for our free 1 week course. Thanks to a collaborative partnership with the Fashion Impact Fund we are able to offer free places for up to 15 women. Places are filling up so don’t delay – to find out more and apply tap here.
Until next time, have a great week.
The Team at FashionCapital
