Landlords Shaftesbury offers two young tailors incubator space

Shaftesbury, owners of the Carnaby destination in London’s West End, has joined forces with London College of Fashion to offer two young tailors incubator space over the summer.

London College of Fashion graduates, Joshua Millard and Sarah Hollebon, were announced as the winners of the initiative following an initial selection process, where they presented their business plans to a judging panel consisting of Harold Tillman, Mark Powell celebrity tailor, Tom Horne founder of menswear label L’Estrange and Sam Bain-Mollison, head of retail at Shaftesbury.

Joshua Millard, who graduated from London College of Fashion in Bespoke Tailoring in 2014, impressed the judges with his transitional wardrobe of longevity, tailoring and outerwear, as well as his emphasis on quality of fabric and the fact that majority of his collection consists of natural fibres which respect the environment and animal welfare. Millard works with lamb Nappa and shearling, a by-product which is ethically sourced across the UK and Europe.

Commenting on being part of the programme, Millard said in a statement: “I am really excited to be part of the Shaftesbury and London College of Fashion programme. To be working with such great mentors to help develop the business is an incredible opportunity.”

Joining Millard is Sarah Hollebon, who graduated from London College of Fashion in 2018 with aspirations to “expose and encourage understanding of social issues by merging tailoring, fashion, art and technology”. Each of her sculptured pieces is an evocative representation of a social issue or mental health condition, showing her innovative yet classic approach to tailoring.

Hollebon added: “I am elated and thrilled to be selected for this magnificent opportunity.”

Shaftesbury teams up with London College of Fashion to assist young tailors

Each of the tailors will be provided with physical studio space rent-free for two years to help develop their skills and to establish themselves in the “important early stages of their businesses,” explained Shaftesbury in a statement.

Located in Carnaby at 26 Kingly Street, the winners will join the existing home to three floors of tailors who have historically made suits for rock ‘n’ roll royalty, film stars and TV personalities. Their residency will begin this summer.

Fashion entrepreneur and London College of Fashion tailoring graduate of 1965, Harold Tillman, will provide personal mentoring and a bursary towards the hire of necessary equipment for the graduates, while London College of Fashion will provide a specialist programme of business support to help them.

The 'Carnaby x London College of Fashion: Kingly Street Tailors' collaboration aims to invest in the next generation of talent following in the footsteps of tailors such as Mark Powell, whose business has been in Carnaby for 30 years.

Sam Bain-Mollison, head of retail at Shaftesbury said: “Shaftesbury is proud to support and nurture future talent in tailoring, a craftsmanship industry that is at the heart of Carnaby’s heritage. Shaftesbury is excited to work again with London College of Fashion, UAL which is world renowned for developing exciting designers and skilled master tailors.”

Linda Roberts, director of business and innovation at London College of Fashion added: “London College of Fashion, UAL is a pioneer in fashion business support through its Centre for Fashion Enterprise, and we want to ensure a growing and sustainable creative industry to contribute to the UK economy. We are delighted to have this support from Shaftesbury in helping us to nurture our talented graduates in the early stages of establishing their businesses.”

Image: courtesy of Shaftesbury - L-R: Mark Powell, Tom Horne, Sam Bain-Mollison and Harold Tillman