Teaching fashion for mental health recovery | News

Young people from North London who are recovering from poor mental health are being given the chance to design, create and sell a range of T-shirts as part of a project that sets them on course for a career in the fashion industry. 

Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL) is working with North London Mental Health Partnership for the project, called Hope-FX, which gives ten young adults a chance to produce their own unique, t-shirt design and see it all the way from a sketch to the high street.  

They will receive wrap-around support and tuition from the FEL team for up to six months, and will be given training in fashion illustration, pattern cutting, sewing skills, traditional and digital printing techniques, and state-of-the-art digital ethical technologies.  

Business studies will also be on the curriculum, enabling the students to understand how to sell their products and deal with suppliers and retailers. The course will culminate in them devising their own marketing plan launch their products in high street shops and on with online retailers.  

During the course they will each design, print and stitch five different T-shirts and develop their own capsule brand concept.  

North London Mental Health Partnership is undergoing a community transformation of   the services we provide for young people in North London. Part of this is about meaningful partnerships that empowers young people to have equal opportunities to access and be part of their communities.  

FEL CEO Jenny Holloway commented: “As a social enterprise this is what Fashion-Enter Ltd is all about - supporting and encouraging individuals from the community. As a society we are waking up to the importance of positive mental health and wellbeing and being creative with projects like this gives direction, encouragement and more importantly hope for the future. Hence the name!  I am personally excited to see the designs that the group will come up with and we are able to follow through with selling opportunities as well.” 
 
Dr Nina Browne, Clinical Community Psychologist for the North London Mental Health Partnership, said: “This is an incredible opportunity to work together to learn how we can build meaningful partnerships across our communities and industries. We want to create more capacity outside of our clinic settings for young people to thrive and develop in the real world.”   

The young people on the course have asked to remain anonymous, but one of them said: “For me, this course integrates my mental health with my interests in kickboxing, jewellery and business”. 

Fashion-Enter Ltd is an award-winning social enterprise that works closely with GLA, Welsh Government, Haringey Council, Islington Council, and Leicester City Council to provide innovative skills programmes. Providing qualification attainment Levels 1-5, Fashion-Enter Ltd is the first ESFA-approved training provider that incorporates the latest technologies into their learning curriculum within the backdrop of their SMETA and Fast Forward-approved factories. Fashion-Enter Ltd commenced training in 2008 following a grant from ASOS for a stitching academy and garment manufacturing in 2010 after receiving further funding from ASOS.  

The project is open to young people in mental health recovery from Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington.