Kurt Geiger scheme helps young people into fashion

Kurt Geiger, a well-known luxury footwear brand, has launched a remarkable training program aimed at helping young individuals from less fortunate backgrounds to break into the fashion industry. This initiative, called the Business by Design Academy, is funded by Kurt Geiger's Kindness Foundation and has recently celebrated the graduation of 33 students. Many of these graduates have successfully secured full-time positions within the company. One of the students, Bill Opare, a 20-year-old from north London, expressed his appreciation for the program, stating that it emphasizes the importance of individual talent and passion rather than connections in a highly competitive field. Bill has aspirations of starting his own athleisure brand, and he is optimistic about receiving a grant from the academy to help him achieve this goal. He shared, 'It's been a lifelong dream at this point. I'm just finally putting my plan into execution. I don't want to say too much, but I hopefully have big things coming soon. ' The academy was established in January 2024 and has already trained two groups of young people in London. It is now expanding its reach by offering the program digitally across the country. To qualify for this free program, applicants must meet certain criteria, including being young carers, having parents who did not attend university, coming from households with an income below £25,000, being refugees, or having disabilities. The program lasts for seven months and covers various aspects of the fashion industry. Another graduate, Jennifer Peters, a 21-year-old from south London, has been awarded an apprenticeship in the buying department of Kurt Geiger. She remarked, 'It's been really nice to connect with other creative people. ' The significance of this program is underscored by recent statistics from the Office for National Statistics, which revealed that the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not engaged in education, employment, or training has increased by 100,000 over the past year, reaching an 11-year high. Additionally, research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre indicates that only 16% of workers in the UK's creative industries come from working-class backgrounds. Sophia Johnson, the head of the academy, emphasized the importance of accessibility, stating, 'We break down the barriers by making it free. We pay for the travel, we pay for the lunches, we've done everything we possibly can to meet the young person at the place of their need. ' Bill, Nylah, and Jennifer all have plans to continue their careers in the fashion industry. Nylah James, a 19-year-old from north London, highlighted the value of having a mentor within the company, saying, 'Having a mentor that actually works within the company is really good because you get to go to her to ask her anything. It's important because it is quite a demanding industry and there's lots of competition. ' Nylah is set to complete an internship with the brand, furthering her experience in the fashion world.