The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the

University of the Arts London University of the Arts London is a collegiate university in London, England, specialising in arts, design, fashion and the performing arts. It is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea Coll ...

, 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 Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar, (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, 20 January 1965) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, the youngest brother of King Charles III. She grew u ...

. 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 kno ...

to train skilled labour for trades including

dressmaking A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notab ...

millinery Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...

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 on c ...

, women's

tailoring A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

and

hairdressing A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...

; 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 The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, or in the skilled dressmaking and fashion shops of the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...

.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 opposin ...

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 University of the Arts London is a collegiate university in London, England, specialising in arts, design, fashion and the performing arts. It is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea Col ...

, 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 corpor ...

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 Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

and

saddlery Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a horse i ...

, 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 common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

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, Washing ...

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 re ...

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 Oxford Circus is a road junction connecting Oxford Street and Regent Street in the West End of London. It is also the entrance to Oxford Circus tube station. The junction opened in 1819 as part of the Regent Street development under John Nash, ...

. 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 Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

,); 100 Curtain Road (Old Street) and

Golden Lane Golden Lane ( cs, Zlatá ulička) is a street situated in Prague Castle, Czech Republic. Originally built in the 16th century to house Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II's castle guards, it takes its name from the goldsmiths that lived there ...

(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

, with

Camberwell College of Arts Camberwell College of Arts is a public tertiary art school in Camberwell, in London, England. It is one of the six constituent colleges of the University of the Arts London. It offers further and higher education programmes, including postgra ...

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...

Chelsea College of Art and Design Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation. It offers further and higher educat ...

London College of Communication The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts. It has approximately ...

and

Wimbledon College of Art Wimbledon College of Arts, formerly Wimbledon School of Art, is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London specialising in theatre, screen and performance art. It is located in Wimbledon and Merton Park, South West London. H ...

Notable people

Alumni

Alumni of the college include : *

Dimpy Bhalotia Dimpy Bhalotia (born 1987) is an Indian street photographer based out of London and Mumbai. Bhalotia was Grand Prize Winner in the Photographer of the Year category at the iPhone Photography Awards in 2020 for her photograph "Flying Boys" photogra ...

, 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 RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2), second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK.'' Ed ...

, drag performer and fashion designer *

Jimmy Choo Datuk Jimmy Choo Back from ...

, shoe designerBrowse all alumni profiles
University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion. Retrieved May 2014. *

Ioana Ciolacu Ioana Ciolacu Miron (; born November 21, 1982) is a Romanian fashion designer. She received a Designer for Tomorrow Award from Stella McCartney, and has founded her own sustainable fashion Ioana Ciolacu label. Early life Ciolacu was born in Ia ...

, 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 ...

, 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 Driss Jettou ( ar, إدريس جطو; born 24 May 1945) is a Moroccan politician, who served as the Prime Minister of Morocco from 2002 to 2007. Early life and education Jettou was born in the town of El Jadida on 24 May 1945. After secondary s ...

, prime minister of Morocco *

Rachel Stevens Rachel Lauren Stevens (born 9 April 1978) is an English singer, television personality, actress and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. She released her solo debut studio album ''Funky Dory'' in Sep ...

, English singer, songwriter and an actress * Joanne Stoker, shoe designer *

Rosenthal Tee Rosenthal Tee is a Filipina clothing designer. She designs primarily bridal pieces and ready-to-wear evening gowns. Education Tee graduated from Istituto Marangoni in 2013 with a master's degree in Fashion Design Womenswear with Distinction. She ...

, fashion designer *

William Tempest William Tempest is a British fashion designer. Early life Tempest was born in Crewe, UK, and studied for a National Diploma in Fashion Design & Textiles at Mid Cheshire College. He moved to London at the age of 18 to study at the London Colle ...

, fashion designer *

Alek Wek Alek Wek (born 16 April 1977) is a 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 Wester ...

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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, model and designer * Jonathan Anderson, fashion designer *

Ekaterina Malysheva german: Ernst August Andreas Philipp Constantin Maximilian Rolf Stephan Ludwig Rudolph , image =Ernst August Prinz von Hannover (1983).jpg , house = Hanover , spouse = , issue = Princess ElisabethPrince Welf AugustPrincess ...

, fashion designer * Kojey Radical, musical artist

References

{{Coord, 51.5152, -0.1440, display=title Fashion schools Fashion, London College Education in the London Borough of Hackney Educational institutions established in 1967 1906 establishments in England