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Join ReGo - a fashion activism against knife crime project

ReGo project participants holding their manifestos. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella
  • Written byInternal Communications
  • Published date 04 October 2021
ReGo project participants holding their manifestos. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella
ReGo project participants holding their manifestos. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella, ReGo project participants holding their manifestos. Photo by Francesco Mazzarella

About ReGo

ReGo is a strategic design project connecting creatives across disciplines with the aim to illustrate to young people that they have a choice in shaping their lives to be more purposeful. It leverages the power of fashion, making, and storytelling to shift the current narrative around youth violence initially, and then focusing on other societal issues that the participants want to address through design activism.

Led by Dr Francesco Mazzarella, the project is funded by Foundation for Future London and comprises a combination of training in fashion design, media and social entrepreneurship delivered by London College of Fashion (LCF), alongside transformational mindset coaching from Catalyst in Communities, and hands-on work experience with local businesses.

Throughout the initial project campaign, knives are transformed into a collection of fashion items, co-created by young people from four east London boroughs (Waltham Forest, Newham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets) and local fashion brands. The ReGo project team will then move on to using fashion activism to raise awareness and challenge additional societal issues.

The project provides opportunities for the young people involved, to gain new skills and build employability. The project aims at exploring the meanings of fashion, supporting learning about materials and making processes, leading to valuing more the garments which we wear, nurturing diverse competencies, and catalysing change in others as well as in oneself.

How you can get involved

LCF is partnering with Catalyst in Communities to offer up to 30 young east Londoners the opportunity to join Project ReGo, to fulfill their ambitions of getting ahead in the business of fashion and media.

The project runs from October 2021 to May 2022, offering:

  • Volunteer and paid roles in fashion design, media, and business development
  • Work experience with east London fashion businesses (e.g. A Perfect Fit, Caramel Rock, Fibre Lab Collective, Joao Maraschin, Omniss, Pop-Up Runways, Post Carbon Lab, Rosayab)
  • Opportunities to work with LCF students on the creation of an activism-focussed fashion brand
  • Networking opportunities with industry professionals
  • Weekly group sessions with mindset coaching

At the end of the project, we will help you develop your CV to include these experiences, so you can secure your next step in the industry. What we ask for in return:

  • A minimum of 3 hours per week of your time to join coaching sessions – and more time for participation in work experience and placements (to be agreed with the team depending on your availability)
  • A commitment to support and engage with the whole project team.

At LCF we believe that fashion has the power to shape lives. So, if you are a design enthusiast, aspiring media influencer or future fashion start-up developer, do sign up ASAP via www.youmeus.tv selecting 'Fashion' from the list of options.