LCF Founders Club celebrate the new studio residents at Poplar Works
- Written bySakina Sule Ali
- Published date 02 May 2023
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Members of the LCF Founders Club gathered in Poplar Works, to celebrate the graduates who have been given free studio access in the Fashion District. Poplar Works is one of the many studio spaces in East London hosting rising creatives with the aim of helping smaller businesses grow to their full potential. This partnership with LCF’s Graduate Futures and LCF Business and Innovation offers additional support and funding alongside the opportunity of having a studio space for two years for graduates who successfully pitch their brands and business models.
Ismaril Wells, Associate Director of Graduate Future expressed, “We are very excited about welcoming this new cohort of LCF Founders to the studios at Poplar Works and will continue to support them to flourish and grow as part of this wider community.”
On Monday 17 April, the welcome event began with a tour of the studio spaces which were being offered at Poplar Works, followed by an opportunity for the new studio residents to network with their fellow graduates over drinks and a selection of canapés. Glasses were clinked and smiles were shared among the guests who were embracing the new level their brand was reaching. HARRI, one of the businesses awarded a studio, describes this experience as “one of the best things that happened to us” and a “big upgrade” from their former workspace.
This initiative began in March 2020 and this year welcomes the second cohort of budding businesses with a focus on providing opportunities to LCF graduates. Those graduates hold degrees ranging from BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Menswear, to MA Fashion Design Management. The brands that form the new cohort of entrepreneurs at Poplar Works are:
- SAGES London – Emily Taylor and Alice Simpson
- XTENDED iDENTITY LTD – Xing Yunjia
- HARRI - Harikrishnan
- Or Collective Limited – Bliss Olivia Staple
- ADIAMELIAS – Adiam Elias
- Bethany Williams
- Ellen Rock
“Our Founders Club membership has continued to grow year on year since launching in 2017. It's hugely satisfying as a team to help enable the progress of our students' ideas, from initial thoughts to viable propositions upon graduation, rooted in affecting positive change for clients, consumers and communities. To continue to support our graduates as Founders with starting, running and scaling their business practices is, exciting, rewarding and inspiring.” - Frances Odell, Head of LCF Graduate Futures
“Studying at LCF was an invaluable experience for us, and we're grateful for the skills and knowledge we gained during our time there. Being part of the LCF community opened up numerous opportunities, and we are thrilled to now have the privilege to work in the funded studios at Poplar Works. This will allow us to continue to grow our business, SAGES, and create new sustainable solutions for the future. We are excited to see what the future holds and we thank LCF and Poplar Works for their support in our journey.” - Emily Taylor, SAGES London
“Being part of LCF has being a great experience, I love the fact that my journey with LCF didn’t end when I graduated. I have received so much support as an Alumni and a founder, one of them being getting a free studio at Poplar works. As a pattern cutter to have a working space is essential both mentally and physically, So having this space will help scale up my business. Looking forward to collaborating and networking with other creative entrepreneurs.” Adiam Elias, Adiamelias Studios
Written by LCF Newsroom Content Creator, Sakina Sule Ali - BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism and Content Creation.
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