Burberry is continuing to support creative communities and promote a circular economy by donating once more to the ReBurberry Fabric programme in partnership with the British Fashion Council (BFC).
Launched in 2020 with the BFC, the ReBurberry Fabric programme provides donations of leftover fabrics to fashion students, upcycling surplus fabric and saving it from going to waste.
‘We are committed to supporting the next generation of exciting creatives while ensuring we all do what we can to protect the environment. We’re proud to be working with the British Fashion Council once more to help emerging diverse talent achieve their ambitions, while reinforcing the importance of sustainable practices and circularity. By equipping students with these materials and tools to help their creativity thrive, we can all create a better future for our industry.’ Nicole Lovett, Responsibility Programme Director, Burberry
‘One of the BFC's priorities is to encourage the industry to move towards a circular fashion economy while supporting excellence in fashion design. We are delighted to work with Burberry, helping ensure students across the country have access to the best quality fabrics. Creative talent is at the heart of the industry and we are proud of our world-leading colleges – being able to provide these students with such opportunities is a privilege.’ Caroline Rush, Chief Executive, British Fashion Council
‘This initiative was an opportunity to experiment and be creative without the burden of cost associated with using high-quality materials. Burberry’s donation allowed me to experiment without bounds. For an aspiring designer, it’s reassuring to know that luxury fashion brands are actively looking to support young creatives in the industry.’ Luca McCarry, 1st Year B.A. (Hons) Fashion Design with Business Studies student at the University of Brighton (pictured at the top of the page)
‘Having access to this fabric allowed me to experiment and be more ambitious with my ideas and execution, which in turn created a final outcome I was extremely proud of. The main idea of this initiative has inspired me to try and design with less waste as well as to try and use deadstock fabrics and other pre-existing materials more.’ Leila Eskandary-Miles, 1st Year B.A. (Hons) Fashion Design with Business Studies student at the University of Brighton (pictured right)
The partnership has continued with a second donation through the programme, taking the total amount of fabric donated to over 12,000 metres to more than 30 fashion schools and universities in the UK, including the Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Brighton. Embodying our belief that creativity opens spaces, this programme encourages the next generation to consider new ways of thinking about their creative methods and material sourcing and gives them the opportunity to develop tomorrow’s approach to fashion design and production.
Through its Institute of Positive Fashion and BFC Colleges Council, the BFC is helping Burberry’s donations – which include a variety of fabrics from past collections – reach the hands of young creatives and up-and-coming designers. Providing a blueprint for brands and colleges to work together to offer practical support for future talent, the initiative enables creativity in a way that is positive for the environment, education and the collections of future creatives.
‘For me, the most important aspect of the initiative would be that it allows students like myself to work with fabrics they wouldn’t have had access to before. As new designers, we want to be working with as many different types of fabrics as possible in our experiments and in the trialling stages. Along with being very wasteful, this process can be really limited and hard to do when keeping to a budget. This initiative allows students to cut down on the existing waste and provides us with more materials to work with, which I think is so important.’ Georgia Bate, 1st Year B.A. (Hons) Fashion Design with Business Studies student at the University of Brighton (pictured above)
‘Fabric is one of the most vital elements within design. It is the base. This initiative allowed me to experiment – draping stretch wool and combining it with my handwoven and braided rope into a one- of-a-kind creation. In the future, thanks to this initiative, I will be working with a more sustainable approach, repurposing and continuing to use deadstock materials.’ Cayley Cochrane, 3rd Year B.A. (Hons) Fashion student at Edinburgh College of Art
About The British Fashion Council
The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1983 with the role to strengthen British fashion in the global economy as a leader in responsible, creative businesses. It does this through championing diversity and building and inviting the industry to actively participate in a network to accelerate a successful circular fashion economy. The BFC promotes British fashion internationally and does so through fashion weeks, exhibitions and showcasing events. The BFC helps British designer businesses develop their profile and business globally and supports fashion talent beginning at college level, extending to talent identification, business support and showcasing schemes. The BFC Foundation (Registered Charity Number: 11852152) was created in 2019 for charitable purposes and grant giving; attracting, developing and retaining talent through education and business mentoring. The BFC Foundation offers support to designers through four talent identification and business support schemes: BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund, NEWGEN and the BFC Fashion Trust. With the support of the BFC Colleges Council, the BFC Foundation offers BA and MA scholarships to students, as well as links with industry through design competitions and Graduate Preview Day. In 2020, the BFC launched the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF), with the aim to help the British fashion industry lead in the goal to be more resilient and circular through global collaboration and local action.
The BFC showcasing initiatives and events include London Fashion Week Presented by Clearpay taking place every February, June and September; LONDON show ROOMs and the annual celebration of creativity and innovation in the fashion industry: The Fashion Awards.
For more information visit: britishfashioncouncil.co.uk & londonfashionweek.co.uk
About the Institute of Positive Fashion
The Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) helps the British fashion industry lead in the goal to be more resilient and circular through global collaboration and local action. Leveraging global expertise and resources we will adopt standards, develop and establish frameworks, to reset and create a new blueprint for the industry. Through identifying key industry challenges, we call for collective action and investment in innovation to drive change at pace and scale. We are aligning our industry with the needs of our planet by taking an holistic approach across environment, people, community & craftsmanship. The IPF aims to avoid duplication, highlighting available resources and gaps, focusing on disseminating information, and convene cross-sector stakeholders to assess collective challenges and collaborate on action. Established by the British Fashion Council, led by a steering committee of industry experts, supported by advisory groups comprising industry, government and academia.
The British Fashion Council thanks the steering committee for their time and expertise in the ongoing development of the Institute of Positive Fashion. The role of the steering committee is to share and identify both individual and institutional expertise to inform strategy and participate in collective action.
For more information visit instituteofpositivefashion.com
About Burberry’s Commitment to Sustainability
About Burberry’s Commitment to Supporting Communities
About Burberry
