LCF Graduate Futures joined the annual London Venture Crawl 2023 – a unique partnership between London College of Fashion and over 20 London universities designed to allow students to observe and connect with real-world businesses, industry thought leaders and founders as they explore startup ecosystems around the city. Taking place over one day, the Venture Crawl's overall aim is to make entrepreneurship a more accessible topic to students whilst they network, connect and consider the reality of their enterprising career aspirations.
This year's event took place in The Trampery Fish Island, an exciting hub of creativity and innovation that houses a diverse range of fashion businesses, including designers, tech developers, and creative freelancers. Located at the heart of London's Fashion District – students experienced just a taste of what LCF's new home of East London offers in the 'startup scene'.
Organised in collaboration with Fashion District, around 40 students participated in the event. They witnessed first-hand the innovative ideas and sustainable practices being implemented by the businesses at The Trampery during a packed day of activities ranging from studio tours, in-conversations, and presentations.
Starting off with a tour of The Trampery, students visited the studios of Dotte, a one-stop-shop where parents can buy, sell, donate and recycle outgrown children's clothing, and Rewritten, a size and shape-inclusive bridesmaid apparel brand. Once in the studio, students could ask the founders about their business models, products, services, and critical challenges – drawing back the curtains on how different startup businesses operate day-to-day. MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation student Ugonna Nwaka told us, "The venture crawl was so inspiring for me, especially because of how practical my course is. It was great to see live case studies of fashion entrepreneurs who have grown their businesses in sustainable ways.
The Trampery creates a viable pipeline for entrepreneurs like me who are wondering about next steps after graduation. I love how the graduate futures team is so thorough and intentional about providing experiences and opportunities that help students."
After the studio visits, the group gathered to hear from LCF Graduate Futures and the enterprise support available that enables students to ideate and validate their ideas alongside their studies then launch and scale their businesses as members of the LCF Founders Club. Frances Odell, Head of Graduate Futures Consultants, showcased the team's work with Poplar Works and Carnaby Studio founders, two initiatives providing LCF graduates with physical space and business support. Students also received an introduction to Fashion District, learning about the important work the team carries out to transform the economic and social impact of the fashion industry in east London. Helen Lax, Project Director of Fashion District, highlighted how attendees could engage with the team now and in the future.
Next up, BA Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear alumnus, Asya Ter-Hovakimyan shared her transformation from student to a founder - exemplifying the challenging yet rewarding experience of becoming an entrepreneur, and the support LCF Graduate Futures provided her along the way. Asya, the co-founder of the fashion brand OMNISS also a business resident of The Trampery, gave an inspiring yet honest talk – ups and down included – bringing to light the journey many LCF students embark on when starting their own business.
Last on the agenda was an insightful discussion moderated by Helen Lax that covered everything from the importance of circularity, fashion business modelling and the future of material innovation. Helen sat down with two inspiring fashion entrepreneurs, Lydia Bolton, a sustainable namesake brand that upcycles unwanted textiles into covetable womenswear and Kaela Katz, another LCF graduate who is the founder of FibreLab, a business that helps fashion brands by offering them local and accessible solutions to services like textile recycling and sourcing.
These conversations clearly resonated with the students who attended and were made even more impactful by the fact that Kaela and Asya had begun their entrepreneurial careers in the audience of the Venture Crawl in previous years. Attendee Song Peiye, a student on BA Creative Direction for Fashion, said,
"Getting to know about how they have started their companies and their journey from an insider point of view that is not so distant from us as LCF graduates or soon-to-be, I have felt happy for them while their stories, insights and enthusiasm encouraged me to tap into my potential."
The day ended as it began with the large group of enterprising students networking, connecting and sharing their innovative ideas, now only more motivated by the insights and transparency to entrepreneurship they had been exposed to throughout the day as they immersed themselves in The Trampery's network of disruptive ventures.