Paul Smith’s Foundation, along with the Mayor of London, Projekt and GQ, have announced the six designers out of 170 applicants who have been selected for The Fashion Residency programme – set to run at Studio Smithfield for the first time.
The innovative business development programme will provide advice and guidance for the early career fashion designers, as well as free studio space in the heart of the City of London.
Studio Smithfield by Projekt is a new 27,000 sq ft creative hub, event space and work space in London’s iconic Smithfield Market.
The inaugural cohort of designers, YAKU, Paolina Russo, Laura Pitharas, Karoline Vitto, Paolo Carzana and Pauline Dujancourt, were selected for their unique point of view, design aesthetic, clarity of ambition and intent for the programme.
The Fashion Residency will run for three years, starting from 2024/25, supporting three lots of six designers for 12 months per group.
The mentoring part of the programme is being designed and delivered by Paul Smith’s Foundation. It includes over 60 hours of business skills mentoring in areas covering legal, finance, production and marketing, created to help each designer build a career which can be sustained for the long term.
Paul Smith said: “The number of applications received was unbelievable, this really shows the need for a programme like this, and I wish we could help everyone who applied!
“I am excited to see how the six designers develop with the mentorship scheme we have put in place. I’ve being doing a version of this for a long time, helping people through advice, mentoring, introductions but it’s very rewarding to have this formalised and to work with such great partners.”
The studios are being funded through investment from the Mayor of London and Projekt, the work and event space developer that works with landowners, housing associations and local authorities “to shape the character of new communities and revitalise unused spaces”. The investment covers the rent and fit out of the spaces.
Justine Simons, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, commented: “I’m delighted that we have such a talented range of designers for the first ever Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield.
“Our residency combines studio space and mentoring from industry experts, helping them to take their careers to the next level. London’s creative industries are vital for our economy and our global reputation, and the Mayor and I will continue to do all we can to support them, building a better London for all.”
In addition to the individual studio spaces, designers will have free usage of meeting rooms, communal areas, a dye room, a shared kitchenette, an off-site photography studio and a reading room – with a selection of books donated from the Royal Academy of Arts, Phaidon and Tate, as well as archival issues of GQ.
The Fashion Residency offers hands on and practical business mentoring that is bespoke to each designer’s business. Mentors in the programme include Matthew Mumford, Head of Creative at Paul Smith, Charlie Casely-Hayford, Director of Casely-Hayford, Murray Clark, Senior Style Editor at GQ, Laura Weir, Executive Creative Director at Selfridges, and Henry Holland, among several others.
Paul Smith’s Foundation was started to provide a forum for his personal archive of helpful advice for creatives. It is intended to provide guidance and inspiration for a new generation of talent “to take things to the next level” while adhering to Paul Smith’s number one priority: “that you have fun along the way”.