10 years of LCF's Enterprise Challenge: Where are they now?

Lara Intimates (Cindy and Faith, 2016 – 2017)

Launched as part of the 2017 Enterprise Challenge, Lara Intimates began as BA (Hons) Fashion Contour alumni Cindy Liberman and Faith Leeves’ vision for a sustainable lingerie brand using reclaimed and surplus fabrics. Their idea turned waste materials from manufacturers into elegant, size-inclusive bras and underwear, all made locally in London to reduce waste and ensure ethical production. A successful Kickstarter campaign raised over £30K, helping them open a Soho studio and launch their e-commerce site.

Although Lara Intimates closed in 2021 due to the pandemic, its impact continues. Cindy is now a freelance mentor and fractional Chief Marketing Officer and Strategist, while Faith runs her own technical design studio, F-ridays, in Brighton. We caught up with Cindy, who reflected on how the Enterprise Challenge equipped her with the confidence and practical tools to build her career beyond the brand.

“Winning the enterprise challenge was a big confidence boost. It validated Lara Intimates as a viable business, and it propelled me into support networks with the college, money to start up, and more belief in myself. I took the first step creating the business idea, and I was lucky to have LCF wrap their support around it to help me grow with confidence.” - Cindy Liberman.

Braible ^TM (Joan, 2017 – 2018)

For BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development alumni Joan Goyeche, accessibility was at the heart of fashion innovation. Joan’s project, Braible, introduced braille clothing labels and swing tags to help blind and partially sighted people identify garments independently - a simple idea with far-reaching impact. The concept earned UK and EU trademark protection, and Joan continues to receive royalties from producers who license the design. Years later, Braible remains a quiet success story of inclusion and foresight, showing how thoughtful design can make fashion more accessible for everyone.

“The Enterprise Challenge taught me the necessary skills to turn creative ideas into actionable change from concept to business plan. In terms of my business idea, BraibleTM, we looked into multiple avenues of revenue in order to make sure that my project would be profitable and marketable. For my project, particularly, this meant looking at royalties, contracts, and consultancy opportunities, among others, for a B2B model; the benefits for other companies to use our labels and trademark, and what that would mean for a B2C model to cater to people living with sight loss. It also taught me to make sure that the business idea is comprehensible to people who may not be familiar with the lived experiences of people living with sight loss or other disabilities to bridge that gap in the market, and helped me realise that the need for further accessibility within fashion is bigger than we imagine.” - Joan Goyeche.

JOA (Julie, Olivia and Anna 2018 – 2019)

Driven by a shared belief that fashion could, and should, be circular, MA Fashion Futures alumni Anna Schuster, Olivia Weber and Julie Chaussende launched JOA in 2019 to give discarded garments a second life. Their pitch proposed transforming deadstock and donated garments into one-off, upcycled pieces, which they sold on Depop with impressive success - achieving over a 300% markup and raising £15K to grow the brand. They also offered bespoke mending services, encouraging circular fashion long before it became a mainstream movement. Since then, their paths have evolved; Anna is now Product Sustainability Manager at Hugo Boss in Germany, driving circularity within the company’s global supply chain; Olivia continues her creative practice as a self-employed Feminist Embroidery Designer through Trashion Factory, a sustainable fashion initiative that tackles textile waste while also building community skills through workshops and Julie works as a freelance creative in France, blending fashion, styling, and design projects with a sustainability focus.

Reflecting on what they learned from taking part in the Enterprise Challenge, Anna said:

“Taking part in the Enterprise Challenge was the first time I truly learned to think like a founder rather than just a creator. It taught me to connect purpose, product and people and not just designing something beautiful, but building something that could live and grow sustainably in the real world. The mentoring and training gave me a more holistic business mindset that I still draw on today: validating ideas early, communicating a vision clearly, and staying agile without losing the heart of the concept. Working both as a founder and within larger industry roles in sustainability and business development has helped me build on this foundation: Pushing boundaries, developing new ideas and creating change from within existing structures.”

Survivalist (Emi, 2019 – 2020)

Drawing directly from her lived experience of homelessness, BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development alumni Emi Tanimura created Survivalist, a collection of garments that could transform into bags and portable shelters. The project combined upcycled fabrics with technical materials to create functional, weatherproof pieces, including the Tent Trench jacket and Bomber Bag. Emi’s innovative work earned the Mead Final Project Award, the Gucci x ID x Arts Thread Design Award, and victory in that year’s LCF Enterprise Challenge. Today, Emi runs her own freelance design company in Tokyo, specialising in UX/UI, branding, and digital marketing, continuing to blend creativity with social impact.

When asked what advice Emi would give to students who are thinking about applying for the Enterprise Challenge this year, Emi said;

“Your pitching confidence will come from good practice and preparation. I practised so hard that I would record myself, then watch it back about 20 times before I was happy with the final pitch. I can even remember my pitch word for word even now, 5 years on!”.