Burberry came together with its partner, The BRIT School, to celebrate young creatives by showcasing the final-year projects of the Fashion, Styling and Textiles students. The partnership aims to support young creatives in entering the creative industries.
Burberry Celebrates Young Creatives With BRIT School Showcase
Burberryplc is Principal Partner of the Fashion, Styling and Textiles course and is committed to nurturing creativity, circularity, and craftsmanship. The showcase is part of the “Burberry Inspire” program, which seeks to positively impact young people by providing access to arts and culture.
Held at Burberry’s London headquarters, Horseferry House, the showcase presented the work of twenty-six students and offered a unique opportunity for them to share their skills and network with industry professionals. From garments created with surplus Burberry materials to handmade shoes crafted in upcycled leather and orange peel, digital presentations and hand-felted pieces, the final projects incorporated a range of mediums, demonstrating the School’s commitment to nurturing creativity, circularity and craftsmanship.
With Burberry colleagues and senior leaders in attendance, Burberry’s Chief People Officer, Alexandra McCauley announced the winners of the annual Burberry Stepping Stones Bursary Prize. With a shared commitment to nurturing young talent and amplifying diverse voices, the bursary offers two graduating year students from global majority backgrounds financial support as they embark on creative careers.
“We are so proud to partner with The BRIT School for their Fashion, Styling and Textiles course, and to celebrate the creativity and excellence of their students at Horseferry House,” said Alexandra McCauley, Chief People Officer, Burberry. “The calibre of work that we witnessed at the showcase was incredible and a real testament to why supporting creative institutions is so important, not only for the preservation of craftsmanship and the nurturing of creativity, but for the future of our industry.”
Burberry Celebrates Young Creatives With BRIT School Showcase
“Burberry coming on board as the Principal Partner of our Fashion, Styling and Textiles course has been life-changing for our students,” explained Stuart Worden, The BRIT School Principal. “Many of them will have seen and admired Burberry in Vogue since they were young. To now have the same brand championing them, leading workshops and offering mentorship, is incredibly special. It has reminded our students that they too have infinite potential and could one day be industry professionals at a brand like Burberry.”
One of the winners of the Burberry Stepping Stones Bursary Prize, Azania St Marthe, commented: ‘Winning the bursary money was very surreal and a dream come true for me. I plan to spend it on fashion design courses that can help me in my journey after BRIT, and on new sewing machines.’
Burberry has extended its sponsorship of the Fashion, Styling and Textiles course, which supports fifty students annually, by helping the School to continue to offer world-class facilities and educational off-site visits at no cost to families. Students also benefit from Burberry’s participation in The BRIT School’s student enrichment programme – a scheme that has seen Burberry colleagues present workshops for mentorship, industry-specific skill sharing and career guidance.
Burberry Celebrates Young Creatives With BRIT School Showcase
About Burberry’s Partnership with The BRIT School
In June 2023, Burberry became the Principal Partner of The BRIT School’s Fashion, Styling and Textiles course, and introduced the Burberry ‘Stepping Stones Bursary Prize’. The course is a UAL accredited extended diploma which the school first introduced in 2021 and explores a variety of technical skills – from textiles and pattern cutting, to photography, styling, fashion illustration and graphic design.
This course is a part of The BRIT School’s Visual Arts and Design department. With a shared commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the Burberry Stepping Stones Bursary Prize offers two graduating year students of global majority backgrounds financial support as they embark on a creative career.
“I couldn’t have imagined what my time at The BRIT School would give me and how the creativity and industry insight provided there would help shape my career over the years. Through this partnership , we hope to help students of the Fashion, Styling & Textiles course fulfil their career ambitions, and create a more inclusive pipeline of upcoming creatives in the fashion industry,” said Geoffrey Williams, Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Burberry.
“This is a defining moment for The BRIT School to be partnering with Burberry, a leader in the British creative industries. The BRIT School is both a shelter for students to be who they want to be and a springboard to achieve ambitious career goals in the creative world,” said Stuart Worden, Principal of The BRIT School. “Through Burberry’s generous support, we’re looking forward to connecting our students to industry professionals and offering enhanced facilities on our Fashion Styling & Textiles course for students to train to professional standards and be industry ready.”
Burberry Celebrates Young Creatives With BRIT School Showcase
About The Brit School
Based in Croydon, South London, The BRIT School is the UK’s first and leading free performing and creative arts school for 1,500 young people aged 14 to 19. The School – an exempt charity based in Croydon – invests in the future of the UK’s cultural wealth by nurturing young artistic talent from all backgrounds and teaching the skills needed by the creative industries. Almost all graduates progress on to HE, FE or employment on leaving the school.
BRIT stands for the British Record Industry Trust. Without the generosity of the record industry and funding from the BRIT Awards and BRIT Trust, the School would never have been built in 1991. The BRIT School’s mission is to prepare students for careers in the creative industries by offering a match-fit vocational qualification accredited by UAL. At post-16, the UAL level 3 results are above the national average with 71% of the cohort gaining a Distinction at UAL.
“We believe in creativity and that young people of all backgrounds should be able to develop their creative talent and craft and make a powerful contribution to society,” says Stuart Worden, Principal.
The 13,000-strong alumni includes Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland, Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Rizzle Kicks and the The Kooks. Students from the School have been responsible for selling over 280m+ albums, billions of streams and winning 43 high-profile awards including Grammys, BAFTAs, Oscars, Laurence Olivier and BRIT Awards. In 2024 The BRIT School was awarded Ofsted Outstanding in every category.
About Burberry
Founded in 1856 Burberry is underpinned by founder Thomas Burberry’s passion for the outdoors. He invented the innovative rain-ready fabric gabardine to protect explorers from the elements and in doing so, created the foundation for the iconic Burberry trench coat which remains core to the business even today. Since then the fashion house moved on to ready-to-wear- outerwear- fashion accessories- fragrance- sunglasses and cosmetics.
The company is currently listed on London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. As a values-driven brand, Burberry is committed to creating the next generation of sustainable luxury and believe that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to fulfilling its purpose. Fostering an inclusive culture where differences are valued and embraced enables us to be more creative, engaged and make a more meaningful contribution to the world around Burberry.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
