Building on the success of the inaugural Creativity Works: Fashion employability programme in summer 2014, we revisited the fashion industry to deliver ambitious new employment pathways for a group of young Londoners aged 18 – 24, who are not already in education, employment or training.

The UK fashion industry is estimated to support 797,000 jobs and contributes over £26 billion to the economy. It is estimated that orders of over £100m are placed during London Fashion Week each season, providing viable career opportunities for young people.

Starting with a behind the scenes look at one of the most important moments in the fashion calendar, London Fashion Week, the young people took part in eight days of intensive industry specific training, including designing and making their own mini-collections. The group then took part in four weeks of work placements with some of industry’s most exciting brands and designers including COPSON, Natasha Zinko, Steven Tai and Anna Popovich.

The programme culminated with a showcase of the group’s mini-collections, curated by the young people, at Machines Rooms in Hackney.

The ambition of the project is for the majority of the group to land permanent paid jobs or apprenticeships by the end of the programme and to set a gold standard for how young people can be involved in the growth of the UK’s creative industries.

Creativity Works Fashion 2016 from CREATE London on Vimeo.

Creativity Works is Mayor’s Fund for London programme, supported by the Berkeley Foundation and Be Open and delivered in partnership with Create and A New Direction.