The British Fashion Council (BFC) has launched the Student Fabric Initiative, a collective community action to support fashion students across the country in the pandemic face while reducing waste across the industry. About 27 brands have joined in donating materials, including deadstock and unwanted fabric, to fashion students at 33 colleges around the UK.
Caroline Rush, chief executive at BFC, said, “We are delighted to work with some fantastic brands to meaningfully support the pipeline of creative talent here in the UK with the support of our great college’s network. One of the BFC’s priorities is encouraging the industry to move towards a circular fashion economy while supporting fashion design excellence. Being able to help students in need while managing to offset waste is an important example of the power of industry-wide collaboration.”
The initiative will support students as they complete their BA Fashion degrees while also helping colleges bring sustainability even closer to the heart of fashion education in the UK. The scheme’s ultimate ambition is to create a simple and efficient way for brands and colleges to work together to provide practical support for future talent.
Brands taking part in the Student Fabric Initiative include A-Cold-Wall, Asics, Barbour, Begg & Co, Bella Freud, Bianca Saunders, Charlotte Knowles, Craig Green, David Koma, Gabriela Hearst, Halpern, Hamilton & Hare, Kiko Kostadinov, Knitster LDN, Mackintosh, Natasha Zinko, Orlebar Brown, Paul Smith, Per Götesson, Phoebe English, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Qasimi, River Island, Roksanda, Simone Rocha, Sunspel and Victoria Beckham.
