Fashion District: The Launch of a World Leading Fashion Hub for London
24-01-2025
Today (10th September 2018) sees the launch of Fashion District, a collaborative initiative that is set to make London the global capital for fashion education, design and innovation, and our sister company Fashion Enter is very much involved…
The launch of the Fashion District – a new hub for London’s fashion industry aims to return world-leading fashion manufacturing and design to East and North London with sites in East Bank, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Hackney Wick, Haringey and Poplar. This new hub aims to boost growth through thousands of new jobs, improving skills and training, and the provision of new affordable workspaces.
The new plans unveiled today will build on a long history in fashion manufacturing and legacy in East and North London to ensure that the area is the centre for fashion education, design, business and technology. Throughout the capital’s history the east end has been at the centre of fashion manufacturing – from silk weaving in Spitalfields to the many skilled seamstresses and tailors dotted around the boroughs. Currently 23 per cent of the capital’s fashion enterprises and employment are based in East London, and this new hub will support further growth through training and provision of technology used in fashion production – 3D printing, laser cutting, interactive and wearable fabrics – and design software.
Plans for the Fashion District will:
- Create 15,000 new jobs and provide skills, training, apprenticeships and paid internships for local Londoners.
- Ensure local people are able to develop the production and technical skills that the industry needs – in the next five years, fashion businesses will need to recruit for up to 60,000 vacancies2.
- Help local young Londoners into the fashion industry through with more than 2,000 training opportunities and 100 apprenticeship opportunities.
- Bring 5,500 students from the London College of Fashion together in one campus in East Bank.
- Provide new affordable work spaces including:
- 32 new affordable studios at The Trampery Fish Island Village
- New manufacturing space and studios from the conversion of disused garages at Poplar Works, Tower Hamlets. Led by Poplar HARCA, The Trampery and London College of Fashion, UAL, the scheme will create a new training space for fashion enterprise – with 3,404 sqm of affordable workspace funded by the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund and London Regeneration Fund.
- Fashion Enter’s Tailoring Academy in Haringey will kick start alternative routes into fashion careers through apprenticeships in technical skills, again funded by the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund. Stimulate innovation, provide business support and access to fashion technology – including 3D printing, laser cutting, interactive and wearable fabrics and design software.
This brand-new approach comes as the result of an innovative collaboration by London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, the British Fashion Council (BFC), UK Fashion and Textiles, the Mayor of London, London Legacy Development Corporation (LDDC), Unibail Rodamco-Westfield, Poplar HARCA, The Trampery, Fashion Enter, Here East, Newham College, and the London Boroughs of Hackney, Haringey, Newham, Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets.
Launching in designer Christopher Raeburn’s studio, the vision for the Fashion District was presented by speeches from Professor Frances Corner OBE, Head of London College of Fashion, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of the Arts and Chair of the Fashion District, Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, and Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council.
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, said: “It is more important than ever that we show the world that London is at the heart of the global fashion industry – with talented designers, technological innovation, leading fashion colleges and major brands. The Fashion District will generate thousands of jobs in the area, train young Londoners for a career in this growing industry, and pave the way for growth and innovation.”
Professor Frances Corner, Pro Vice-Chancellor UAL and Head of London College of Fashion said: “London needs to act now if it wants to stay at the forefront of the fashion tech revolution. Emerging businesses only grow with significant support in skills, advocacy, innovation and investment. That’s what the Fashion District will bring. I am particularly delighted the London Boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Haringey, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest have pledged their support. Working with London Boroughs will accelerate the development of space and business support for SMEs and attracting light manufacturing to east London.”
Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council added: “The British Fashion Council welcomes the launch of the Fashion District who are putting technology and innovation at the heart of their ambitions and aim to build a pipeline for young local talent, alongside supporting London’s emerging and established designers. Their aim to foster new innovative brands while making British talent more visible on the global stage is aligned with the BFC’s mission to cement London’s position as a global leader in fashion, innovation and business.”
Jenny Holloway, CEO of Fashion Enter / FashionCapital, attended the launch she said: “The new Tailoring Academy (due to open in 2019) will create a new generation of highly skilled tailors to be equipped with the skills required to reach the exacting standards of master tailors. Investing in state of the art machinery and up-skilling the industry will tackle future industry gaps. Working with Fashion District partners there will be an extensive network of facilities and resources for our wonderful creative fashion and textiles sector.”
The launch of the Fashion District builds on the Mayor’s vision for East Bank – a £1.1bn investment at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park bringing together a powerhouse of culture and education for innovation and growth across the capital.
View the Fashion District Video
