Fashion-Enter and North London Mental Health Partnership Collaborate for Innovative Hope-FX Project

Young people who are recovering from mental health conditions 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 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 their 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.

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 students 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.”

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