Graham Cann Photography
What We Do
Fashion District works with a number of different partners to facilitate support programmes helping to develop a strong, sustainable network within the UK fashion industry.
All of our activity is guided by our five pillars: SPACE, INVESTMENT, INNOVATION, CONNECTIONS and SKILLS. You can learn more about the activity that takes places in relation to these pillars by exploring the boxes below.
Our Story
For centuries, fashion manufacturing was a dominant industry here in East London. Whilst much was lost during the offshoring crisis, East London’s rich fashion and craft heritage was resilient. High-end fashion manufacturing has returned to growth after decades of decline with a focus on fashion technology, which is expected to disrupt and transform the global fashion industry. We want to accelerate this growth.
An independent report carried out by BOP consulting identified key barriers to growth for the fashion industry in East London. To address these barriers, the Fashion District launched in 2018 to unite industry, business, education, and the public sector to speed up investment in skills, workspace, businesses and innovation R&D.
The Fashion District adds to our existing creative strengths, repositioning London’s fashion sector as a creatively-led digital manufacturing centre. The cluster is at the heart of the UK’s knowledge economy, focusing on our strengths in generating intellectual property. It is a destination for investment in UK fashion business, incubating new companies, business models and providing support for innovation in products and services. It attracts global talent, catalysing production corridors across East London and the Upper Lea Valley, and driving growth in regional textiles manufacturing.
