Fashion Starter Summer Academy. Second edition is over
LPP, together with the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, carried out the second edition of the Fashion Starter Summer Academy of Fashion Design. The project aims to educate creative people and encourage them to apply for jobs at LPP and for studies at the Academy of Fine Arts.
The project, carried out by the Gdańsk-based company and university, aims to bring fashion enthusiasts closer to the process of designing collections, show the work of a designer in practice and spot the best talents who want to develop further in the fashion industry.
– We can observe a steady increase in the demand for new employees in the design departments of the various LPP brands. Just this spring, we announced our entry into new markets – Greece and Italy – as well as further development in Western Europe. Such increased recruitment needs go hand in hand with the intensification of further partnership projects with art schools. And since our roots are closely linked to Gdańsk and Dolne Miasto district – the place where our head office operates – we are naturally closest to the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. Our cooperation has been developing for a good few years now, and its scope is constantly evolving. The best proof of our joint success is this year’s, already second, edition of the Fashion Starter Summer Academy addressed to the most talented fashion enthusiasts – emphasises Sławomir Ronkowski, internal communication and CSR director at LPP.
The programme of the Academy covered many stages of design, including trend analysis, building moodboards (inspiration boards), journalling and technical drawing, participating in sewing, as well as styling and realising a photo shoot. Two approaches were taken into account during the workshop: a commercial one, aimed at meeting the client’s expectations, and an artistic one, allowing for unlimited creativity. The whole project was enriched by a bag personalisation workshop and an art therapy workshop.
Eighteen people were selected for the project and took part in classes at the LPP headquarters, the Reserved photo studio in Pruszcz Gdański and the Patio of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. The participants worked in five groups, and each of them was responsible for designing one model on the basis of those already available in the Reserved brand’s offer – a dress or a jumpsuit.
– The second edition of the Summer Fashion Starter Academy is an example of valuable cooperation between LPP and the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, which offers great development potential. The enthusiasm and energy of over two weeks of joint work of a selected group of young designers is a stimulus that drives us to plan further activities in the field of fashion design. Where the art of design meets the real needs of contemporary culture and business, there is room for the ambitious and creative” – emphasises dr Adam Świerżewski, Vice-Chancellor for Cooperation and Promotion at the Academy of Fine Arts.
After last year’s first edition, four people decided to become professionally involved with LPP. This time, the participants have also been invited to participate in the recruitment processes of the Gdańsk-based company.
– Fashion Starter was created with budding designers and fashion enthusiasts in mind, but it can equally benefit those who give presentations, consultations and workshops. Specialists from the product preparation departments of our brands are enthusiastically involved in the entire process and are happy to share their knowledge of the industry. They treat participation in the project as a challenge and derive a lot of joy from observing how budding talents develop under their guidance – adds Karolina Czajewska, coordinator and co-organiser of the Academy, senior LPP employer branding specialist.
Almost 30 people were responsible for the design part of the Academy: designers, clothing technologists, seamstresses and stylists. LPP employees shared their knowledge and experience with the participants. The final part of the Academy, i.e. the photo workshops and photo shoot, was carried out under the supervision of Magdalena Czajka-Cardoso from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk.
The final stage of the project will consist in an exhibition of photographs and designs prepared by the participants of the Fashion Starter Summer Academy, which will be presented in autumn.
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LPP is a Polish family business and one of the fastest growing clothing companies in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. For 30 years, it has been successfully operating in Poland and abroad, offering its collections in such prestigious capitals as London, Helsinki or Tel Aviv. LPP SA manages five fashion brands: Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito, and Sinsay, whose offer is available today in stationary and online stores in nearly 40 markets worldwide. The company has a chain of over 1700 stores with the total area of 1.4 million m2 and distributes clothing and accessories to 3 continents every year. LPP also plays an important role as it employs over 24 thousand people in its offices and sales structures in Poland, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the WIG20 index and belongs to the prestigious MSCI Poland index.