Aspiring designers to gain creative and business skills at new Fashion Academy

Future fashion designers will have the chance to create and distribute their own clothes with industry professionals at a new Fashion Academy at City and Islington College (CANDI).

The academy has been launched in partnership with the Fashion Technology Academy (FTA), part of Fashion Enter, a not-for-profit organisation developing skills for the fashion and textiles industry.

Located at CANDI’s Centre for Business, Arts and Technology, the Academy will run a new Creative Practice: Art, Design and Communication Level 3 Diploma – Fashion, Design and Business course.

The course will be open to 16-18 and adults and will blend practical, creative design skills and techniques with business knowledge to fully equip students for a career in the industry. It will be taught by qualified teachers from CANDI and the FTA.

Students will be able to design and manufacture their own garments using the latest industry equipment including Kornit Digital ethical printing technology, and then distribute them through Fashion Enter’s shop in Fonthill Road in Islington and online.

Marie Bradley, Head of School for Creative arts and Media, said: “We are excited to launch our new Fashion Academy. This is a fantastic collaboration between CANDI and Fashion Enter that will combine both the creative and design elements of working in the fashion and textiles industry along with relevant business skills.

“The Academy will see students attend practical workshops and lectures with teachers who are experts in their field, enabling them to explore their creativity and develop business and entrepreneurial skills by marketing and selling their own clothes collections and designs.

“At CANDI, we have a long-established history of delivering fashion and textiles courses, and over the years we have seen many talented students study with us. This partnership will further enhance our provision and give students even more access to the fashion industry and what it takes to succeed in this ever-evolving and dynamic sector.”

Fashion Enter is a social enterprise and centre of excellence for sampling, grading and production, and for learning and development of skills within the fashion and textiles industry.

The FTA has a fashion studio and factory and provides training through courses and apprenticeships with companies including ASOS, Tesco, Mountain Warehouse and Next, as well as hosting education visits from schools, colleges and universities.

Jenny Holloway, CEO of Fashion Enter, said: “Creativity careers will always be as unique as the individual, which is why fashion keeps evolving and reinventing itself. There are so many fulfilling jobs in fashion, not just designers, but pattern cutters, stitchers, graders, garment technologists and digital creators. There are so many opportunities to develop different skills.

“Students at the Academy will be exposed to the real world of fashion. They will be guided through the step-by-step process from idea to final garment and selling it by developing business and marketing plans, including the opportunity to generate their own brands.

“London Fashion Week is one of the big four fashion weeks on the world stage along with New York, Paris and Milan. We are thrilled to be working with CANDI to give students an incredible insight into the industry to ensure they are prepared for that global reach with designs ready to hit the catwalk.”

Find out more about the Fashion Academy here and apply for the Creative Practice: Art, Design and Communication Level 3 Diploma – Fashion, Design and Business course here.

Share!