The British Bangladeshi Fashion Council, with its partner Streets of Growth, is helping British Bangladeshi and underrepresented women in the fashion industry by offering training, mentoring, networking opportunities, and industry showcases. With partners including Central St Martins and UAL/London College of Fashion, we have helped launch many esteemed young designers into successful careers and wish to do the same with women in East London.
Our target beneficiaries are women from Bangladeshi backgrounds who have high levels of skill and interests in tailoring, dressmaking, and other textiles crafts, but are underrepresented in East London’s Asian textiles sector due to personal complexities such as demanding childcare/family responsibilities. That’s where our cooperative comes in. Our cooperative offers flexible, part-time work that enables these women to generate extra family income, gain experience in tailoring/textiles business, and access further training and enterprise opportunities, while also offering pathways to self-employment and continuing professional education.
INSPIRE Women Led Fashion & Tailoring Co-Op
The INSPIRE Women Led Fashion & Tailoring Co-Op provides affordable tailoring services to the local community and is run by local women who have gained experience in tailoring and textiles. These women have flexible part-time work arrangements that allow them to balance demanding childcare and family responsibilities, including lone mothers who may not have access to traditional employment opportunities. They receive further training, employment, and enterprise opportunities with local businesses and the INSPIRE Fashion & Textile Accelerator Project. The INSPIRE Co-Op has attracted interest from large retailers like Primark, who are exploring opportunities in supply chain partnerships and supporting women in local retail/supply chain employment.