A crowdfunding campaign has been launched by one of the most popular independent shows during London Fashion Week. Fashions Finest launched their campaign on the 10th of July to create opportunities for emerging talent. High student fees along with the rising cost of living in especially in London have been much-debated topics. For a number of years now, have art and fashion courses at universities been a particularly heated discussion point regularly covered by The Guardian Newspaper. Headlines such as ‘Our art schools have become finishing schools for a wealthy few’ or ‘Music education is now only for the white and the wealthy’ and ‘Why money more than talent is now key to fashion education’ have stirred many a conversation. In addition funding cuts all around have added additional pressure.

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Director Deborah St Louis felt compelled to start this campaign after she observed a record number of new and graduate designers struggling to participate in her event. For many, it seems it has become more difficult to launch and grow their fashion business with the increasing economic pressures businesses and individuals are facing.

Deborah St Louis said: “We have an incredible pool of untapped and undiscovered talent here in the UK. While we accept and welcome established brands, much of our work is with new and emerging designers. Many of these designers are fresh out of University or without formal fashion training. We are here to level the playing field by making entry into the fashion industry more accessible and helping new designers build a career for themselves in a way that ensures sustainability.”

Deborah explains, “We have launched our crowdfunding campaign to allow graduate and new designers to participate in one of the most important international events; London Fashion Week. Our fees are modest in relation to our cost but for some, they are still out of reach. There is a considerate amount of debt graduates are leaving without even considered the costs of materials and resources required. So despite an incredible price-point for many, the fees remain out of reach. As a company, we just aren’t able to absorb these costs and especially with rising venue and production costs. We are proactively addressing these challenges and sourcing the most viable solutions”.

Kepaza at Fashions Finest photo: Joanna Mitroi

“We offer a viable alternative for designers to showcase and market their brand during London Fashion Week.

Through our partner, Fashion Enter/Fashions Capital designers also have access to additional education as well as manufacturers.

Furthermore, we have now launched our online store which gives designers an opportunity to have their first retail presence. “, concludes St. Louis.

Hellavagirl at Fashions Finest

Fashions Finest celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. It has propelled the careers of Hellavagirl, John Herrera, and Matthew O’Brien to name a few. All have gone on to achieve national and international media attention online, in print and on TV. Fashions Finest regularly feature some of the hottest brands on their catwalks or in their exhibition space.

Some worn by stars such as Paloma Faith, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Madonna and more. Fashions Finest‘s array of national and international fashion talent, regularly draws a crowd of fashion industry experts, press and VIP from business, sport, entertainment, music and film industry.

The crowdfunding campaign offers exciting perks from beauty products, unique designer brands, show tickets and more. To support the campaign visit: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/graduate_FF_lfw

Joyce Pilarsky photo Joanna Mitroi