Paul Smith’s Foundation Invest In the Fashion Talent of Tomorrow

When it comes to fashion, the conversation that swirls around support (or lack thereof) regarding budding creatives, particularly fashion designers, is endless, and for good reason. Fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry, but when it comes to young designers and the structure for them to thrive, suddenly there 'isn't any money'. 'Lately, there's a lot of young people that have gone to the wayside', Karen Binns recently noted in a SHOWstudio conversation with Fantastic Toiles mastermind, Nasir Mazhar. 'They've come to London. They've taken their years in college, they've gone through their MA's and I just don't really see a strong sense of real designers coming out and making it, really making it'. Binns' remarks isn't in direct relation to the talent of today and what're they're capable of but more a less, the foundations in which encase them.

Despite more initiatives than ever before, all promising to offer young designers support, (the BFC, Fashion East, NewGen and Sarabande) it's no secret it's become harder than ever to be a young creative in 2024. However, the Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield is looking to change all that. 'Our creative industries are the lifeblood of our capital', Sadik Khan - who's involved in the East London-based project - said in a statement to press. 'They provide one in five jobs and drive our economy, so it’s vital that we do what we can to ensure London remains a leading destination for fashion and design.'

The initiative will see three cohorts of six fashion designers, spread out over the next three years, receive a free 400sqft studio space for 12 months each, as well as mentoring from industry leaders and business planning training. Together, the total work space amounts to 5,000sqft and is set to 'create opportunities for London’s next top fashion designers to grow their businesses and learn from fashion and business experts'.

Also in on the project is Paul Smith's Foundation, who have designed the mentoring programme while matching designers with industry leading professionals to help them establish their businesses and create a sustainable footing once they leave. It includes workshops, group seminars (of which British GQ is helping cultivate) and one-to-one tutoring, with more than 40 hours of business skills teaching in legal, finance, production and wholesaling, content creation, styling, communications, social media and more. It may not solve every young designer's problem, but its promise in teaching young creatives the power of harnessing a business-savvy path stands out against the other support schemes out there.

'I set up Paul Smith’s Foundation to bring about opportunities and give helpful advice to creative people', Sir Paul Smith commented. 'The Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield has been conceived specifically to build designers' skills in topics ranging from legal and finance, to production, merchandising and publicity. I’m excited to be working with a generous team of industry experts and partners to build solid businesses for the long term and celebrate London’s brilliant and diverse creative talent.'

British GQ's Adam Baidawi acknowledged that the publication is 'proud to throw our weight behind the Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield programme', noting that 'GQ is excited to see what the next wave of fashion creatives are building.'

The new creative studios, which have been designed with the help of Projekt, may currently be empty but applications are are now open and ready for the first lucky six. Designers will be pre-selected by a panel of industry experts and mentors, with the final few being chosen by a panel including Sir Paul Smith. The programme's mentors including many renowned names in fashion, most of which are SHOWstudio contributors including Adam Andrascik, Charlie Casely-Hayford, Henry Holland, Laura Weir, Mandi Lennard, Orsola de Castro and Tamsin Blanchard.

'By investing in the future of the industry, we’re building a better London for all', ended Khan; an undoubtable truth that SHOWstudio will continue to help champion.