Alexander McQueen supporting students with fabric donation

British fashion house Alexander McQueen has donated surplus fabric stock for the second time to students as part of its commitment to young creatives studying fashion and textiles throughout the UK.

Creative director Sarah Burton introduced the donation scheme in 2019, in a bid to underpin creative education by redistributing surplus materials, from womenswear taffetas to menswear tailoring cloths, which have been leftover and stored after the production cycle.

In a statement, Burton, said: “It’s our responsibility to extend our programme of practical help and encouragement to students and fashion schools. The fabric donations build on the relationships we’ve made with educationalists across the UK who are teaching students from school age to graduate level and is broadening out to reach further in 2021.

“When times are so much more difficult for young creative people, taking action to share our resources and open eyes to opportunities has become a central in-house commitment at Alexander McQueen, which we all take very seriously.”

The scheme is organised directly with tutors, and to date, fabric donations have been delivered to more than 20 institutions and fashion education community projects in the UK. The surplus stock was used in many graduate collections last year, as well as term course work and workshops.

Alexander McQueen explains that it is looking to increase the number of institutions it works with to supply more fabric donations, to equip school-age children, students and emerging talents with free resources “to realise their futures and the awareness of the need to underpin equal opportunities for young people in education, the scheme is planned to be offered to further institutions throughout the year and beyond”.

Additionally, Alexander McQueen had designed various projects to inspire students of all ages, led by members of its specialist teams to share real-life knowledge of cutting, draping, pattern cutting, tailoring, textile construction, embroidery and collection research.

Image: courtesy of Alexander McQueen from a multimedia drape workshop at the Alexander McQueen Old Bond on March 4, 2020