London schools to include fashion design

City Hall is teaming up with the London College of Fashion to add fashion design to the school curriculum to inspire young fashion designers across the capital.

‘Fashion London’ is a free classroom resource designed to encourage the next generation of designers, entrepreneurs and technologists, explained the London mayor’s office, by giving London-based school children an insight into opportunities in the fashion industry.

The Key Stage 3 resources have been developed with art and design teachers to give students an insight into the range of jobs available in the fashion industry, with the aim of encouraging the next generation of designers and entrepreneurs, and to help improve diversity in the industry.

The resources are a new addition to the Mayor’s London Curriculum, a programme of events and resources for teachers that take inspiration from the capital’s people, places and history.

The ‘Fashion London’ programme includes free lesson plans that will guide students through the complete design process, from brand concept to product manufacture and retail. In addition, teachers will be able to attend free training sessions at London College of Fashion to get guidance on how to use the resource and 300 students at the East Education Summer School 2020 will get to experience a bespoke workshop.

City Hall adds fashion design to London school curriculum

Justine Simons, deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries said in a statement: “London is a global fashion capital and it’s really important that we give the next generation the chance to pursue a career in the industry. Starting in schools is a great way to give young people a taste of what’s on offer and to encourage them to take their first steps towards a successful career.

“This is a growing industry worth 32 billion pounds a year to the economy, with 890,000 jobs and so I’m delighted that we have developed this fantastic resource to open up this great industry to young Londoners and help make it more representative of our city.”

Jessica Saunders, programme director for Fashion at London College of Fashion, UAL added: “As a global leader in fashion education, we know how valuable young people find the skills that they gain from creative learning such as enterprise and problem-solving, and how sought-after these skills are in industry.

“These resources are designed to nurture this creativity in young people and to create in-roads into fashion as a career option, as a growing industry making a significant contribution to the global economy. We will provide help and guidance to teachers on how to make these resources a real asset to the classroom.”

This is the latest resource from City Hall to support the fashion industry. This includes East Bank, a new “powerhouse” of culture, education, innovation and growth being built on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, launching the Fashion District, a world-leading hub for fashion technology, in east London, supporting artist workspaces, and developing Creative Enterprise Zones to specifically support artists across the capital.

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