not just a fad
Fashion Awareness Direct – FAD – is a “creative” charity aimed at helping young people bridge the gap between education and the fashion industry. As a general rule I have a problem with organisations that refer to themselves as creative. Because as a general rule, they are not. But I’m letting it slide this one time as FAD are kinda great. They specialise in running professional fashion workshops and competitions for 13-15 year olds – giving these young people a true insight into the fashion industry and the necessary tools to excel beyond their peers. Fashion is a tough industry and FAD are essentially helping young people get a leg up or a foot in the door or any other appropriate idiom that springs to mind.
For a decade FAD have showcased the talents of UK students on the catwalk in London, via the FAD competition. Described by Vogue as an “undeniable springboard”, the FAD Competition exists to inspire, support and young designers. Great. For 2012 FAD have launched a one-off Fashion Illustration & Design Competition to celebrate the initial, embryonic stages of fashion design and to “highlight FAD’s ethos of combining art and fashion”. I’m guessing the real reason is that they’ve had their funding cut and can’t afford an actual fashion show… Hopefully next year they will be back with a “normal” competition.
But anyway, it’s still exciting to see what British talent is out there. Finalists have been selected and will be revealed at FAD’s Charity Fashion Gala next Tuesday the 21st of February. Tickets can be bought by emailing fad10@fad.org.uk
Sloth Scale: 7
