The artisans' learning experience will result in the creation of a luxury capsule collection which, in a unique opportunity for new graduates, will be sold exclusively on NET-A-PORTER in the second half of 2024. 50% of the RRP of Products sold will be donated to The King's Foundation.
YOOX NET-A-PORTER and The King's Foundation launch the third edition of The Modern Artisan, which aims to nurture emerging talent in luxury fashion. Six students will receive a nine-month paid training, focusing on responsible design and craftsmanship. The program includes design training in London and manufacturing experience in Scotland.
The six artisans in training are:
- Daisy Gray, 23, from Hertfordshire. Daisy graduated from Kingston University.
- Jessica Horton, 31, from Hampshire. Jessica graduated from Bournemouth Arts University.
- Flavia-Maria Nistor, 23 years old. Originally from Romania and living in London, Flavia graduated from Staffordshire University.
- Sarah Jane Sleeba, 26 years old. Originally from India and based in London, Sarah graduated from Kingston University and India's National Institute of Fashion Technology.
- Georgia Wintle, 23, from Gloucestershire. Georgia graduated from the University of South Wales.
- Arielle Uno-Ekwang, 22, from London. Arielle graduated from the University of Brighton.
During the three-month design training at YOOX NET-A-PORTER's London office, artisans work alongside the group's internal private label teams, learning how to leverage data insights to design the collection with to the NET-A-PORTER customer. . This is followed by a six-month stay at Dumfries House, the King's Foundation headquarters in Ayrshire, Scotland, to make the collection while learning specialist craft skills. Throughout the program, artisans are taught how to minimize impact and promote longevity, with access to more than 40 brand partners and industry experts.
Our partnership with The King's Foundation is based on a shared commitment to equipping our industry's rising stars with skills for success, furthering the legacy of mentoring programs we are proud to run at YOOX NET-A-PORTER. By supporting today's emerging designers, we continue to lay the foundation for a future where luxury fashion can be synonymous with responsible design. We look forward to seeing the talented artisans' vision come to life through an exciting capsule collection for our NET-A-PORTER customers later this year. – Vikki Kavanagh, CEO of NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER.
We are proud to announce the third edition of The Modern Artisan, which builds on the success of our partnership with YOOX NET-A-PORTER to provide a comprehensive educational experience for the next generation of fashion and textile professionals. Six exceptionally talented students in this program will aim to demonstrate their creative ideas and skills, their commitment to sustainable practices and respect for nature, and ultimately their ability to follow in the footsteps of Modern Artisan graduates who launched careers. successful in the industry. The highlight of the program for many, of course, is the launch of the responsibly produced, student-designed and manufactured collection, which everyone at The King's Foundation is looking forward to later this year. – Jacqueline Farrell, director of education at The King's Foundation at Dumfries House.
The third edition of The Modern Artisan marks another step in YOOX NET-A-PORTER and The King's Foundation's shared ambitions to support future fashion talent working towards a more responsible industry. In 2022, the graduating artisans of the second edition created YOOX NET-A-PORTER's first capsule collection that was 100% aligned with its design guidelines of sustainability and circularity, surpassing the goal set for all its private brands to achieve by 2025 .
To date, 16 expert artisans have participated in two editions and have established their own fashion brands or secured positions at renowned luxury fashion houses, in addition to being hired into YOOX NET-A-PORTER's private label teams. Applications for the third cohort were submitted by over 60 graduates from over 30 fashion schools across the UK, of which over 30% came from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the industry.
Note: The content of this press release has not been edited by Fibre2Fashion staff.
Fiber2Fashion News Desk (RM)
