Fashion Open Studio x Somerset House

Designers include Bethany Williams and Paolo Carzana, bold knitwear designer Katie Jones and anonymous collective CONGREGATION design who will take part in a series of online talks and workshops as part of our Earth Day celebrations. These sessions also form part of Fashion Revolution Week's #whomademyclothes campaign and our own Creative Careers initiative which supports young people looking to enter the creative sector.

If you're looking to pursue a career in fashion join us to discover how you can form part of a new generation of ethical, sustainable designers, and get practical tips, as well as opportunities to share and learn through making. These sessions will be led by fashion journalist editor Tamsin Blanchard and Fashion Open Studio co-founder Orsola de Castro.

14.00 | Orsola de Castro and the designers introduce the session.

14.20 | Katie Jones leads a macrame tutorial for beginners. Bring your own string, wool, or garden twine or make your own by shredding an old t-shirt or pillowcase.

14.50 | Paolo Carzana will talk about his Central Saint Martins graduation collection and the importance of research and material sourcing.

15.20 | CONGREGATIONdesign lead a participatory workshop exploring how to share a garment narrative and showcase a collection at home.

15.50 | Bethany Williams explains how to disrupt the system and make new business models with a social purpose.

TUNE IN LIVE

About Fashion Open Studio

Now in its fourth year, Fashion Open Studio is a Fashion Revolution initiative. Its purpose is to shine a spotlight on best practice and innovation being led by fashion and textile designers, biotech start-ups and retail disruptors. They believe that responsibility and transparency begins with the designer and there is no better way of being accountable for your actions than opening up your studio to the public. 

This is an alternative to the conventional fashion showcase which does little to address many of the concerns citizens have about the social and environmental impacts of fashion. Fashion Open Studio allows designers to share every aspect of their work and offers tangible solutions and steps towards a more responsible industry. 

About the designers

Katie Jones is a bright and bold knitwear designer who teams playful aesthetics with a love for craft and community! Katie's self named brand was launched in 2014 and has since won Selfridges Bright New Things Award in 2016 and been stocked in luxury stores worldwide.

Paolo Carzana is a menswear designer based in Wales, recently graduated from the MA Fashion programme at Central Saint Martins with his MA Collection titled “THE BOY WHO CAME BACK TO LIFE”. Paolo works with natural materials such as Welsh Wool and Piñatex Pineapple Leather and raises funds for LGBTQ+ charities alongside his work.

Congregation is an anonymous collective of design talent who come together to challenge and experiment design processes.

Bethany Williams is a pioneering British menswear designer committed to exploring social and environmental change within her work and working with marginalised parts of society to bring about positive change and social enterprise.