In May London College of Fashion, UAL hosted an exclusive event designed to combine fashion professionals, Endeavor's creative partners, and LCF’s School of Media and Communications (SMC) final year students with WME Fashion to provide a platform for networking, skill-building, and inspiration.
Collaborating with WME Fashion; Stephanie Barker Fry, Senior Lecturer and Knowledge Exchange Lead for SMC, Frances Odell, Head of Graduate Futures Consultancy and Carla Frith, Graduate Futures Enterprise Consultant, along with Niamh McEnery, Senior Lecturer, Employability and DiPS (Diploma in Professional Studies) Lead, hosted a mixer event at the WME London office.
In the panel discussions; ‘Exploring Behind the Scenes Roles in Fashion’ and ‘Endeavor’s Partnerships: Navigating Your Path from Campus to Career’, students heard from the speakers how WME manage freelance talent on a global scale, from the Met Ball to London Fashion Week, and how industry changemakers from innovative starts ups are using their entrepreneurial skills to make waves in big businesses.
Amongst the guest speakers were Emma Quelch, VP and Managing Director, IMG Models, Fran Shepard, VP and Counsel of WME Fashion, Eric Angelo, Manager at The Wall Group, and Sagina Shabaya, Senior Director of Impact and Inclusion, Endeavor. Students were privy to insights and knowledge sharing to help inform their next steps into the industry. We heard first hand from founders and freelancers at Sondr, Creative Access and Creative fix, how they have navigated their own businesses and freelance practices within social media, styling, tech, music, and branding.
After the panel discussions, the students had the opportunity to sign up for the networking and Career Clinic Sessions, while enjoying food and drinks provided by Afrinape.
Feedback from the students who attended found the event insightful.
"I appreciated the open discussions within the panel about inclusivity and barriers to joining the fashion industry, which helped it create an honest and open atmosphere." - Year 3, BA Fashion Public Relations and Communication student.
"Amazing! I saw myself represented through the host, the panellist, the food selection and other attendees." - Year 3, Fashion Journalism and Content Creation student.
"This networking event allowed me to meet people starting out in industry and people working in it for an extended period. I felt an enormous sense of relief and comfortability hearing the panel discuss their journey through their career, whether it began 2 years ago or 20 years ago." - Year 3, BA Fashion Public Relations and Communication student.
"Working with LCF for this event has been an incredibly enriching experience. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to unite such talented aspiring fashion students with our incredible WME Fashion professionals and our valued partners. This collaboration not only fosters valuable connections but also ignites a passion for innovation and inclusion within the fashion industry. Seeing the enthusiasm and creativity from the students has been truly inspiring, and we are excited to continue building on this work to make the Fashion Industry a more accessible and inclusive industry."
Shannon Leah Wall - Impact and Inclusion Manager at Endeavor.
Fran Shepard, VP and Counsel of WME Fashion, and long-time collaborator and supporter of LCF, said:
“I was delighted to be a panellist at this event and get the opportunity to share my experiences with such a talented group of students. I am always amazed by how entrepreneurial the LCF students are and how much potential they have. I hope that they were able to take away from the evening that there are a lot of routes into the fashion industry and jobs, including being a lawyer, that you wouldn’t think of. I also wanted to give the students confidence that every path is different, no one is the finished product when they start out and that is absolutely fine. Their passion and hard work will get them to where they need to be."