Fashion District
This morning we celebrated the launch of the Fashion District – A new vision for an East London Fashion Innovation Hub. Joined by BFC Chief Executive, Caroline Rush, Deputy Mayor Justine Simons and designer Christopher Raeburn, LCF collaborated with our partners to launch exciting plans for a new technologically advanced district, reviving east London’s fashion heritage and creating a lasting legacy.
The Fashion District brings together fashion, technology, business and education to meet, compete, collaborate and innovate – nurturing talent, generating new jobs and developing new products. It will strengthen London’s position as the global capital of fashion technology and driving economic and social transformation in east London. A hub of businesses, spaces, ideas and opportunities, it will:
Make London the global hub of technology
Boost the economy across the whole capital
Support ‘Made in Britain’ across sectors
Revive our fashion heritage
Create a legacy for the future
“I hope East London will become more and more vibrant through its community and creativity. I really hope we will keep seeing makers of all scales move into the area – to either grow what they are currently doing, or start new business” – Christopher Raeburn
The story of fashion is the story of technology. London meeds to act now to stay at the centre of fashion-tech, which is re-shaping the fashion industry worldwide.
Technology brought us mass production, took manufacturing offshore and lost London its’ rag trade. Fifty years on, fashion-yech is bringing us mass personalisation, grounded inartificial intelligence and machine learning. This time, London needs to grab its advantage. Even now, fashion-tech is weaving wearables into our clothes, alongside haptic feedback and conductive yarn that enables touch interactivity. garment construction now uses 3D printing and laser welding. Retail will be among the first industries disrupted by mixed reality. Technologies such as blockchain will become vital in safeguarding luxury goods from counterfeiting.
Like hi-tech, fashion-tech is a London story. Hundreds of fashion-tech businesses have grown up organically in London. Some of the leading companies in this field are British. It should be no surprise that London is the creative capital of the world, and east London is the heart of the UK’s digital and knowledge economy. These business however, can only achieve growth with significant support in skills, advocacy, innovation and investment. To deliver this support we are creating an industry-led partnership which will re-inforce this creative strength, giving fashion-tech the boost it needs in the fashion District, East London.
This is a pivotal moment in London’s story as the world’s capital of fashion. Let’s make London the home of fashion tech.
For more information, please visit the Fashion District website: www.fashion-district.co.uk
Designer Christopher Raeburn, with young designers Bethany Williams, Sabinna Rachimova, Daniel Fletcher, and Emile Vidal-Carr, at the launch of the Fashion District.
