A unique partnership with the British School of Fashion
Stars of Marks and Spencer’s new Autumn/Wintercampaign attended the launch on Monday night, during London Fashion Week, of a unique new partnership between M&S and The British School of Fashion at M&S’s new design studio, M&S Studio @ Fashion Street.
Tracey Emin, Katie Piperand Helen Allenfrom the Britain’s Leading Ladies campaign joined guests from the world of fashion at the M&S Studio @ Fashion Street for a preview of M&S’s SS14 Best of British Womenswear Collection.
Marc Bolland, Chief Executive at M&S said:
“M&S Studio @ Fashion Street in Shoreditch builds on M&S’s extensive design expertise, giving our team a vibrant new location from where they can draw inspiration for new collections. The M&S Fashion Scholarship is an exciting way for our designers to work with some of the British School of Fashion’s best young design talent and for M&S to invest in the British fashion leaders of tomorrow.”
The five year partnership with The British School of Fashion comprises three key elements:
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M&S Studio @ Fashion Street - a working external design studio;
- The M&S Fashion Scholarship - an annual £50,000 fashion bursary;
- An Online Publishing Suite
M&S Studio @ Fashion Street
Equipped with everything needed to create a garment from sketch to first sample, M&S Studio will provide a creative space open to all M&S design teams to develop innovative ideas away from the office, whether designing trial garments for an M&S collection or adding finishing touches to existing pieces. M&S Studio complements M&S’s existing design facilities and several members of the design team will be permanently based on site.
The M&S Fashion Scholarship
M&S also announced the launch of the M&S Fashion Scholarship, an annual bursary of £50,000 to be awarded each year to support selected students on fashion courses at The British School of Fashion. The M&S Fashion Scholars will be selected by a panel of M&S and British School of Fashion experts, and will also benefit from M&S mentoring and use of the design space. The first M&S Fashion Scholars will be selected in February 2014.
Online Publishing Suite
As well as the design space, M&S Studio will house a digital content hub, opening M&S up to a rich variety of influences from the fashion world. An arm of M&S’s Digital Publishing team based at the Studio will share content, from documenting the design team’s work, showcasing some of the young British design talent at the university to sharing inspiration from London’s style trends.
Professor Christopher Moore, Director of the British School of Fashion said:
"Glasgow Caledonian University is delighted to form this ground-breaking partnership with Marks and Spencer. Our British School of Fashion is at the forefront of fashion business thinking and this new initiative clearly demonstrates both creativity and innovation on the part of Marks and Spencer. We are looking forward immensely to working with the M&S team at Fashion Street."
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, Professor Pamela Gillies, said:
“I am delighted that Marc Bolland and M&S have chosen to locate their new M&S Studio @ Fashion Street alongside the GCU British School of Fashion. I also warmly welcome the announcement of the M&S Fashion Scholarship fund. This will provide precious opportunities for study to GCU students from a wide range of backgrounds. It will also allow them to benefit from the unique experience of M&S mentoring in the business of fashion. At the launch of the GCU British School of Fashion last week, Marc graciously described GCU’s initiative as the ‘best of British in its truest sense’. We believe the M&S Studio is an equally creative concept that is both innovative and inspiring and we look forward to working with the M&S team and their imaginative Chief Executive in this bold and exciting venture.”
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For more information, please contact:
Emily Dimmock, M&S Corporate PR, 0208 718 1223
Rebecca Hall, Halpern for the British School of Fashion, 07411 032415
Notes to Editors
About Best of British
The Best of British collection comprises a womenswear and menswear collection which combines M&S’s rich heritage with modern styling to create an edit of timeless pieces with an emphasis on true British craftsmanship and quality.
Garments are made in a selection of premium fabrics including luxury Scottish cashmere through to Yorkshire heritage tweeds and each piece is finished to the highest level of detail, a standard synonymous with British design. All pieces are manufactured in the UK and three quarters of the fabric in the collection is sourced from the UK.
The collections will launch on 10th October 2013 in selected M&S stores (Edinburgh, Marble Arch, Kensington, Camberley, Bluewater, Paris and Shanghai) and online.
About M&S and British Fashion Council
Marks & Spencer and the British Fashion Council recently announced a three-year partnership to promote home-grown talent and support British design and manufacture.
About the British School of Fashion
The British School of Fashion is based at GCU London, a satellite campus of Glasgow Caledonian University. Its programmes will combine theoretical learning and practical experience to give graduates the creative, entrepreneurial and practical skills they require to provide the leadership and vision which GCU believes will help transform the business of fashion. They will be delivered in accordance with the British School of Fashion’s five core principles:
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Advanced research excellence
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Advanced education for future industry leaders
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Promoting competitiveness and innovation
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Providing a conduit for business excellence and engagement
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Developing social and sustainable business models
Programmes include: the UK’s first MBA in Luxury Brand Marketing; MSc Brand Management; MSc Luxury Retail Management; MSc International Fashion Marketing.
Glasgow Caledonian University is an international university delivering excellence, with a strong commitment to the common good. With 17,000 students at its main Glasgow campus and outreach campuses in London, Bangladesh, Oman and, soon, New York, the University offers a modern environment for learning, teaching and applied research.
2013 Fashion, Home & Beauty