Shaftesbury, owners of the Carnaby destination in London’s West End, has
joined forces with London College of Fashion to offer two young tailors
incubator space over the summer.
London College of Fashion graduates, Joshua Millard and Sarah Hollebon,
were announced as the winners of the initiative following an initial
selection process, where they presented their business plans to a judging
panel consisting of Harold Tillman, Mark Powell celebrity tailor, Tom Horne
founder of menswear label L’Estrange and Sam Bain-Mollison, head of retail
at Shaftesbury.
Joshua Millard, who graduated from London College of Fashion in Bespoke
Tailoring in 2014, impressed the judges with his transitional wardrobe of
longevity, tailoring and outerwear, as well as his emphasis on quality of
fabric and the fact that majority of his collection consists of natural
fibres which respect the environment and animal welfare. Millard works with
lamb Nappa and shearling, a by-product which is ethically sourced across
the UK and Europe.
Commenting on being part of the programme, Millard said in a statement:
“I am really excited to be part of the Shaftesbury and London College of
Fashion programme. To be working with such great mentors to help develop
the business is an incredible opportunity.”
Joining Millard is Sarah Hollebon, who graduated from London College of
Fashion in 2018 with aspirations to “expose and encourage understanding of
social issues by merging tailoring, fashion, art and technology”. Each of
her sculptured pieces is an evocative representation of a social issue or
mental health condition, showing her innovative yet classic approach to
tailoring.
Hollebon added: “I am elated and thrilled to be selected for this
magnificent opportunity.”
Shaftesbury teams up with London College of Fashion to assist young
tailors
Each of the tailors will be provided with physical studio space
rent-free for two years to help develop their skills and to establish
themselves in the “important early stages of their businesses,” explained
Shaftesbury in a statement.
Located in Carnaby at 26 Kingly Street, the winners will join the
existing home to three floors of tailors who have historically made suits
for rock ‘n’ roll royalty, film stars and TV personalities. Their residency
will begin this summer.
Fashion entrepreneur and London College of Fashion tailoring graduate of
1965, Harold Tillman, will provide personal mentoring and a bursary towards
the hire of necessary equipment for the graduates, while London College of
Fashion will provide a specialist programme of business support to help
them.
The ‘Carnaby x London College of Fashion: Kingly Street Tailors’
collaboration aims to invest in the next generation of talent following in
the footsteps of tailors such as Mark Powell, whose business has been in
Carnaby for 30 years.
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Sam Bain-Mollison, head of retail at Shaftesbury said: “Shaftesbury is
proud to support and nurture future talent in tailoring, a craftsmanship
industry that is at the heart of Carnaby’s heritage. Shaftesbury is excited
to work again with London College of Fashion, UAL which is world renowned
for developing exciting designers and skilled master tailors.”
Linda Roberts, director of business and innovation at London College of
Fashion added: “London College of Fashion, UAL is a pioneer in fashion
business support through its Centre for Fashion Enterprise, and we want to
ensure a growing and sustainable creative industry to contribute to the UK
economy. We are delighted to have this support from Shaftesbury in helping
us to nurture our talented graduates in the early stages of establishing
their businesses.”
Image: courtesy of Shaftesbury – L-R: Mark Powell, Tom Horne, Sam
Bain-Mollison and Harold Tillman