Fashion is their passion. The third edition of the Fashion Starter Academy is completed
LPP, together with the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, carried out the third edition of the Fashion Starter Summer Academy of Fashion Design. The project was aimed at familiarising fashion enthusiasts with the process of designing clothes and showing the practical aspects of a designer’s work. This year, particular emphasis was placed on the issue of sustainable development and the zero waste principle in the fashion industry.
The project, which has been carried out by LPP and the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk for three years now, aims to introduce fashion enthusiasts to the professional world of designers. During the planned workshops, the participants were assisted in this task by designers, clothing technologists, fashion buyers, stylists, HR experts and university lecturers.
– Our collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts has been ongoing for several years and was driven by a desire to build neighbourly relations. After all, we feel close connection to Gdańsk and Dolne Miasto district, where LPP’s head office has been operating from the very beginning. We created and have been developing this particular project for talented enthusiasts willing to confront their dreams with the reality of everyday work in the industry. The Academy’s comprehensive programme offers such an opportunity and also evolves year to year to not only allow people to learn about a wide range of fashion-related professions, but also to respond to the dynamically changing world and thus follow the latest trends. For our company, it is also an opportunity to meet the most talented people who may in the future join our design teams – emphasizes Sławomir Ronkowski, director of internal communications and CSR at LPP.
The Fashion Starter Summer Academy, which lasted almost two weeks, was attended by 23 people. The participants were divided into five groups. Each of them chose one of the lead themes for the project: maximalism, nature made, balletcore, underwater fantasy, and artistic garden. This time, a particular focus was on sustainable design. The programme included workshops on reworking, and participants used second-hand materials in the silhouette-making process. The organisers aimed to focus on the project as a whole, rather than solely on its individual stages, so as to achieve consistency in the concept developed – from the preparation of the inspiration board, the so-called mood board, the silhouette design, the photo shoot with the model, to the PR activities. Diana Zaiets, a participant of last year’s Fashion Starter, currently working at LPP, was responsible for preparing the groups to present the process of creating the collection.
– This year’s Fashion Starter Academy exceeded my expectations. The participants’ designs were really beautiful and it was amazing that they were created in such a short time. We photographed three models during the session, which allowed us to show five different projects in five different moods, themes. This year, the photo shoot took place in the Small Armoury of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, which is the home of the new course of study, Photography. I hope that this project will be a good experience for the future for all participants and the beginning of a new, perhaps professional adventure – says Dr Magdalena Czajka-Cardoso of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk.
For three years now, the Academy has been an opportunity to confront passion with the “behind the scenes” aspects of the fashion industry, but also to talk about the expectations of a potential employer. Thanks to the presence of the HR department representatives from the Gdańsk-based company, participants were able to learn about the recruitment process. In the project’s history to date, several people have already decided to join LPP teams. This year, during meetings with recruiters, participants were able to discuss their CVs, talk about their portfolios and the possibility of tying their professional future to the leader of the fashion industry in Poland.
– The value of the activities carried out as part of the Academy is the holistic view of fashion. Participating in the collection preparation process allowed for bringing out our participants’ versatility. For some, it was the first step into a completely new field of activity and a good opportunity to release their deeply hidden talents. The requirement to work in groups reflecting the everyday realities of the industry – which is so strongly team-based – was of great importance – emphasizes Julita Fojutowska-Hein, coordinator of the Fashion Starter project, LPP.
Almost 20 people representing different areas of LPP’s business were responsible for the design part of the Academy. The final stage, i.e. photography workshops and a photo shoot, was supervised by Magdalena Czajka-Cardoso, PhD, from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. The result of this work is an exhibition of photographs and designs prepared by the participants, which can be admired in the Small Hall of the Great Armoury at the Academy of Fine Arts until 17 October 2023.
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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 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 2000 stores with the total area of 1.7 million m2 and distributes clothing and accessories to 3 continents every year. LPP also plays an important role as it employs nearly 30 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.
