The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, in London, England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therapy and lifestyle industries. It is the only college in Britain to specialise in fashion education, research and consultancy. Its patron is Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The current head of college is Professor Andrew Teverson.

History

The origins of the London College of Fashion are in three early London trade schools for women: the Shoreditch Technical Institute Girls School, founded in 1906; the Barrett Street Trade School, founded in 1915; and the Clapham Trade School, founded in 1927. All were set up by the technical education board of the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

to train skilled labour for trades including dressmaking, millinery,

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

, women's tailoring and hairdressing; to these, furriery and men's tailoring were later added. Graduates of the schools found work either in the garment factories of the East End, or in the skilled dressmaking and fashion shops of the West End of London.Julie Tancell (2002)
GB 2159 London College of Fashion
AIM25: Archives in London and the M25 area. Retrieved May 2014. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the minimum school leaving age was 15; junior level courses at the colleges were scrapped. Barrett Street Trade School became Barrett Street Technical College, and the Shoreditch and Clapham schools were merged to form Shoreditch College for the Garment Trades. Both had the status of technical colleges, and began to take male students also. In 1967 the two colleges were merged to form the London College for the Garment Trades. This was renamed London College of Fashion in 1974. In 1986 the London College of Fashion became part of the London Institute, which was formed by the

Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was an ad hoc local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. The authority was reconstituted as a directly elected body corp ...

to bring together seven London art, design, fashion and media schools. .n.(August 2012)
University of the Arts London (formerly The London Institute) A Brief History
University of the Arts London. Retrieved May 2014. The London Institute became a legal entity in 1988, could award taught degrees from 1993, was granted University status in 2003 and was renamed University of the Arts London in 2004. In August 2000 Cordwainers College, a specialist school for

leather-working Leather crafting or simply leathercraft is the practice of making leather into craft objects or works of art, using shaping techniques, coloring techniques or both. Techniques Dyeing The application of pigments carried by solvents or water in ...

, shoemaking and saddlery, was merged with the London College of Fashion. It was founded in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

in 1887 as the Leather Trade School. The name was changed to Cordwainers Technical College in about 1914, and then to Cordwainers College in 1991.Julie Tancell (2002)
GB 2159 Cordwainers
AIM25: Archives in London and the M25 area. Retrieved May 2014. In 2018,

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...

co-created a customised curriculum with London College of Fashion. The students participating in this course used cutting-edge technology like mixed reality, the Internet of Things, and

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...

for fashion innovation related to industry and consumer needs. In 2019, the school, the London's mayor's office, Poplar HARCA (housing association) and The Trampery opened a new space to support young creative talent in East London. In 2023, the College is due to make Stratford its new home, as part of East London’s regeneration into a creative and cultural hub.

Campuses

London College of Fashion, Oxford St detail

The main college building is in John Prince's Street, just north of Oxford Circus. Other campuses are at 272 High Holborn; 40 Lime Grove in Shepherd's Bush, and, in East London: 182 Mare Street (which was formerly home to the

Lady Eleanor Holles School Lady Eleanor Holles School (often abbreviated to LEH or LEHS) is an independent day school for girls in Hampton, London. It consists of a small junior school and a larger senior school, which operate from different buildings on the same site. It ...

before it relocated to Hampton,); 100 Curtain Road (Old Street) and Golden Lane (Old Street).Virtual Tours
. University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion. Retrieved May 2014.

Affiliations

The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, with Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Communication and Wimbledon College of Art.

Notable people

Alumni

Alumni of the college include : * Dimpy Bhalotia, Street Photographer *

A'Whora George Boyle (born 22 September 1996), better known by the stage name A'Whora, is a British drag queen from Worksop, England. He is best known for competing on the second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK.'' Education Boyle studied for a dipl ...

, drag performer and fashion designer * Jimmy Choo, shoe designerBrowse all alumni profiles
University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion. Retrieved May 2014. * Ioana Ciolacu, fashion designer * Christos Costarellos, Greek fashion designer *

Peggy Gou Peggy Gou is a South Korean DJ and record producer based in Germany. She has released seven EPs on record labels including Ninja Tune and Phonica. In 2019, she launched her own independent record label, Gudu Records, and released a DJ-Kicks c ...

, DJ, record producer, fashion designer *

Emma Hope Emma Mary Constance Hope MBE (born July 1962) is a British shoe designer. Early life Emma Hope was born in July 1962 in Portsmouth. Her father, who died in 2005, was a Captain in the Royal Navy, and her mother is a former fashion journalist. Th ...

(born 1962), shoe designer * Driss Jettou, prime minister of Morocco * Rachel Stevens, English singer, songwriter and an actress * Joanne Stoker, shoe designer * Rosenthal Tee, fashion designer * William Tempest, fashion designer * Alek Wek,

South Sudanese South Sudan is home to around 60 indigenous ethnic groups and 80 linguistic partitions among a population of around million. Historically, most ethnic groups were lacking in formal Western political institutions, with land held by the communit ...

- British, model and designer * Jonathan Anderson, fashion designer * Ekaterina Malysheva, fashion designer * Kojey Radical, musical artist

References

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