Monsoon partners with UAL on 'zero-waste' capsule

Fashion retailer Monsoon has unveiled a new collaborative collection with London College of Fashion (LCF), alongside the institute’s Making for Change and FabricWorks social initiatives.

Together with LCF’s University of the Arts London (UAL), Monsoon has released an eight-piece capsule collection, featuring the likes of ponchos, dresses, dungarees and jeans each designed using surplus stock from previous seasons, making the project zero-waste, according to a release.

Through the partnership, Monsoon also looked to support both of LCF’s initiatives, each of which provide industry-standard training programmes and employment opportunities to marginalised women from the local community.

Eight women across the two projects, therefore, worked on the pieces from the collection together in collaboration with Monsoon’s design team.

In a release, Monsoon’s design director, Caroline Jackson, said: “As a business, we want to create solutions rather than problems, and to inspire the next generation of designers that we can do more with less.

“This collection is made up of one-off limited-edition pieces which we expect to sell out quickly as the Monsoon woman not only loves this level of fun and femininity but also likes to make thoughtful choices when it comes to fashion.”

Director of social responsibility at LCF, UAL, Claire Swift, added: “We were really pleased that Monsoon were fully invested in the community-focused approach from the outset.

“This unique collaboration provides an opportunity to reimagine the garment retail and production industry, by not only showcasing social initiatives, low-carbon, and circular economy principles, but also providing a model for the wider sector to follow.”