Friday 15 July 2011

Bangladesh: Partnership with BGMEA Institute of Fashion Technology

The first ever workshop on Sustainability in the Curriculum and Supply Chain has been delivered at the BGMEA Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) in Dhaka by Dr Lynne Hammond (Director of International Partnerships Development) and Dr Julia Gaimster (Head of eLearning). This workshop to students, staff and industry was to present the case studies and learning resources developed as part of the British Council DelPHE project being implemented by LCF in partnership with BIFT from 2009 to 2012.

The first resource on Fashion Sustainability in Bangladesh is published online at http://www.sustainable-fashion.com/files/2009/09/Steps-towards-Sustainability-in-Fashion-Snapshot-Bangladesh4.pdf, while the academic teams at both countries are developing the second part of this collection of case studies, which is expected to be published later on this year.

Very positive feedback was received from the participants. Following the workshop, Sohel Samin, Viyellatex Sr Manager in Dhaka, recommended that all students should be educated and trained in sustainable issues, while BIFT Faculty member Anwar Kamal expressed his interest “to develop a programme to help owners to incorporate sustainable practices to their businesses”.


Thursday 23 June 2011

India: Partnership with Pearl Academy of Fashion (Dissemination Event at London College of Fashion)

A  UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) dissemination event has been held at London College of Fashion (LCF) to present the findings and experiences of staff and students during the visit exchanges between the two countries organised in 2010 and 2011. The aim of the event was to foster interest and knowledge transfer in the global fashion business and educational links between LCF and Pearl Academy of Fashion (PAF). 

The event counted with the participation of Nandita Abraham (Head of the Technology and Business Department at PAF), as well as Chitra Buckley (MA Fashion Entrepreneurship Course Leader at LCF) and Lynne Hammond (Director of International Partnerships Development at LCF). British Council advisors from the South East Asia and Middle East regions attended the event, as well as a number of LCF members of staff interested in LCF internationalisation achievements. Link to the presentations here and see the videos of the event at http://vimeo.com/user7787181/videos.

This project has been funded by British Council with the purpose to substantially improve educational links between India and the UK . It has been recognised as a programme that is playing an important role in fostering contacts across the UK and India in the sector of Higher Education.

The wiki http://lcfpafukieri.pbworks.com has been developed by LCF to share the resources developed during the implementation of this project and can be accessed upon request to ieco@fashion.arts.ac.uk


UKIERI dissemination event at London College of Fashion,
London June 2011

Monday 30 May 2011

Uzbekistan: Partnership with the Tashkent Institute of Textile and Light Industry

BA Cordwainers students at London College of Fashion (LCF) had the opportunity to attend a master class on Uzbekistan heritage and traditional textiles. The presentation and workshop was delivered by Umida Vakhidova, Head of Department at the Tashkent Institute of Textiles and Light Industry (TITLI).

Under the umbrella of the British Council Inspire programme, LCF and TITLI have been implementing a project on creativity and employability for the past two years (a briefing pack can be downloaded here).

From the start of next academic year, both colleges will engage in a design project that will require students to investigate and gather research into traditional Uzbekistan craft and use this to inspire and develop ‘must have’ products for the European luxury goods market. It is expected that the student's work will be exhibited both in London and Tashkent, with the support of British Council and the Uzbekistan embassy.

See the coverage of the TITLI visit at LCF News & Events.


Umida Vakhidova and Khalida Kamilova (TITLI Vice-rector) with BA (Hons) Cordwainers Accessories students, London, May 2011

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Turkey: Consultancy to Istanbul Moda Academy

The International Partnerships Development team has joined synergies with the Internal and External Relations department at London College of Fashion to host the visit of Didem Karanfil, Head of Marketing and Communications at Istanbul Moda Academy.

As part of her staff development programme, Didem has travelled to London to present the IMA marketing strategy at LCF and receive advice on ways forward to develop online and printed materials, audiovisual tools, open days and other student recruitment strategies.

Since January 2008, LCF has provided educational and industrial consultancy inputs to IMA (including fashion curriculum, staff development, student mobility, short courses and continuous professional development) through a collaborative partnership strategy agreement signed with the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Export Association (ITKIB).

Lynne Hammond (Manager of International Partnerships Development at LCF)
and Didem Karanfil, London, April 2011

Thursday 14 April 2011

China: Partnership with Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology

As the PMI2 Connect project on Employability and Entrepreneurship of London College of Fashion in partnership with Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology has come to an end, Dr Lynne Hammond (Manager of International Partnerships Development at LCF) has presented the partners ideas on project sustainability beyond initial funding at a British Council workshop held in Manchester for all UK programme participants.

See the summary of sustainable strategies discussed at this link.

At the workshop it was highlighted, that volume 3 (issue 1) of the Journal of Chinese Entrepreneurship published by the Emerald Group is a special issue on the British Council Initiative for International Education 2 (PMI2) and its impact on enhancing employability, entrepreneurship and global citizenship in international higher education.

The PMI2 Connect project of LCF in partnership with
BIFT was implemented from April 2009 to March 2011.

Wednesday 13 April 2011

India: Partnership with Pearl Academy of Fashion

As part of the UKIERI project being implemented by London College of Fashion in partnership with Pearl Academy of Fashion since 2009, three MA Fashion Entrepreneurship students are undertaking a British Council funded field trip in India.

In addition to their stay at Pearl Academy, the students are having the opportunity to tour markets and visit Indian designer studios, Buying and Liaison offices and the Hand Embroidery cluster in Delhi to explore a number of local practices. Their experience is being blogged at http://indianmade.tumblr.com/


Laurent De Meyrignac, Claire Bergkamp and Lara Onakoya at 
Pearl Academy of Fashion, Delhi, April 2011