The London College of Fashion’s (LCF’s) Fashion District is a cluster of ambitious businesses, academic institutions and investors in East London. It was recognised at the recent SBC Excellence Awards for successfully demonstrating how technology, business and education can be brought together to nurture talent, create a network of affordable workspaces, support business and job growth, and develop innovative new products to drive economic and social transformation.
The Fashion District Festival (FDF) took place between 22-27 September 2021, presenting six days of fashion events and retail experiences and activities in and around London College of Fashion’s (LCF’s) new home at East Bank, Stratford. FDF collaborated with the local community, SMEs and larger industry, showcasing innovation, promoting sustainability and supporting emerging talent with 9 partners contributing the equivalent of £237,700 in income/in-kind benefits.
The Fashion District Festival had three guiding objectives: to create SME brand alliances, create community excitement, and to support start-ups to grow.
Brand alliances were formed via the various selling, platforming and networking opportunities alongside much needed activity showcasing profile for East London SMEs. These included:
Pop-Up Shop: a collaborative concept with Westfield Stratford City, offering a new retail experience for both designers and consumers, devoted to supporting independent sustainable brands by providing a place to present and sell their collections. Lone Design Club was the anchor brand alongside five other programming partners that clustered emerging labels, independents and hosted panels and events.
Fashion Market: a market style pop-up that furthered the partnership with London Borough of Waltham Forest and presented a cohort of vintage, pre-loved and retro SMEs.
Rental Pop Up: presenting shoppers with a different fashion proposition and growing the rental community in East London.
The Fashion District Showcase: 27 emerging fashion designer brands at a public evening performance presented by industry partner On|Off with a reception for invited guests from different sectors.
Community excitement was created through hands-on workshops and events at The Lab E20 and Westfield Pop-Up. Participants learnt new skills and techniques through creative and fun experiences. Central to these experiences was raising awareness of sustainability and embedding new values to promote a deeper, more thoughtful engagement with fashion.
On offer to start-ups was a dedicated programme of business support to learn and explore critical topics affecting the industry, as well as network and relax in a festival atmosphere. The programme included:
Business Support Pop-Up: seminars and talks held at The British Council on ‘hot’ topics, including sustainable manufacturing, supply chain and materials. Talks were presented by delivery partners The Trampery, and featured fashion businesses from Poplar Works, Fish Island Village and the Sustainable Fashion Accelerator.
Introduction to Good Work for Fashion: a new initiative from the GLA rolling out a sector approach to ethical and sustainable employment and business practice, including the London Living Wage.
Fireside Chats: a series of informal panels and chats held at The Stratford, which investigated the themes of future change: transparency, inclusivity, diversity and the digital metaverse.
Investment: The Backroom Pitch: a call out for pre-seed start-ups to pitch at a closed event to a table of investors, VCs, Angels, and grant bodies.
Innovation: an Awards Evening in partnership with FIA and sponsored by IET, announcing the winner of ‘Manufacturing Futures 2021’, and bringing together the tech, engineering and fashion sectors to unearth solutions for the industry’s manufacturing challenges.
The impact of the FDF was recognised at the first-ever Small Business Charter Excellence Awards, where The London College of Fashion was announced the winner of the category ‘Outstanding Support for Small Business’.