SHAFTESBURY : ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF 2021 TAILORING BURSARY WITH LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION

Shaftesbury, owners of destination Carnaby in the heart of London's West End have collaborated with London Collegeof Fashion, UAL (LCF) to offer two recent graduate tailors the opportunity of a lifetime.

'Carnaby X London College of Fashion: Kingly Street Tailors' are providing a free studio space for two entrepreneurial LCF graduate tailors who have emerging businesses. In addition, LCF will provide a programme of mentoring and business support through its Centre for Fashion Enterprise. The studio space located in 26 Kingly Street, Carnaby is the existing home to three floors of established tailors who have historically made suits for rock 'n' roll royalty, film stars, TV personalities and the most well-dressed men and women in the world.

The judging panel included LCF alumnus and entrepreneur Harold Tillman CBE, Mark Powell celebrity Soho tailor, KathrynSargent, Savile Row's first female master tailor, Tom Horne owner of L'Estrange and Samantha Bain-Mollison, Retail Director at Shaftesbury. Two winning tailors were selected and will take up residency this summer in their new home at 26 Kingly Street, in the heart of London's Carnaby.

Shaftesbury launched this initiative in partnership with London College of Fashion in 2019 to help young talent in the British tailoring industry. Joshua Millard, winner of the 2019 competition, has gone from strength to strength and has now opened his first standalone store at 1 Marlborough Court just off Carnaby Street. The second winner, Sarah Hollebon, will continue to run her business of 'tailoring with a social mission' from a studio in 26 Kingly Street.

Shaftesbury and London College of Fashion are proud to announce the two winners this year, Leisha Parlour and Takudzwa Chigaduro.

Leisha was born and raised in London and graduated with a degree in tailoring from London College of Fashion in 2020. She takes pride in showcasing her hometown's vibrant and industrious lifestyle through her work, and combines this with the individuality of her clients.

Leisha's design philosophy incorporates sustainability and experimental craftsmanship to carve a modern space in the future of bespoke tailoring. Along with Leisha's use of collaboration and emotive design, she up-cycles second-use textiles in a refreshing style striving for longevity and circularity in her approach to tailoring.

Takudzwa, known as Tak, is a 23 year old tailor and fashion designer living and working in London. She was born in Zimbabwe and moved to the UK when she was 11. Tak completed her degree in Bespoke Tailoring at LCF in 2019, and has been working on a range of fashion industry roles since then.

Her goal is to launch her own brand, TAK, which will be a unique womenswear brand influenced by androgyny and traditional workwear. It will be an inclusive and empowering tool for self-expression for all who can identify with it, and will provide a made to order bespoke service.

After selecting this year's winners, fashion entrepreneur Harold Tillman, himself an LCF tailoring graduate, said: 'As Business & Enterprise Advisor to LCF, this project is very close to my heart. Creating your own business is always a very bold move, even more so in the current times. Projects like this are more important than ever in helping to nurture young creative talent'.

Samantha Bain-Mollison, Retail Director at Shaftesbury says, 'After a successful two years we are proud to continue to support and nurture future talent in tailoring, a craftsmanship industry that is at the heart of Carnaby's heritage. We are excited to work again with London College of Fashion, UAL - world renowned for developing exciting designers and skilled master tailors.'

Joshua Millard says, 'I'm grateful to Shaftesbury for giving me the opportunity to upsize my business and open my first store in Carnaby. I am excited to help mentor the new Kingly Street graduate tailors'.

For more information please contact Sister London:

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Follow @CarnabyLondon and visit Carnaby.co.uk for full updates, news and information

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Carnaby

Carnaby is in the heart of London's West End, where over 100 retail brands of quality and distinction and over 60 independent restaurants, cafes and bars can be found across 14 streets, including the world famous Carnaby Street. Carnaby is a unique and iconic experiential shopping, dining and leisure destination.

About Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury owns and manages a 16 acre property portfolio in the liveliest parts of London's West End. Focused on restaurants, leisure and retail in the highly popular, sought-after and prosperous locations of Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, together with substantial ownerships in East and West Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.

The portfolio comprises 612 restaurants, cafés, pubs and shops, extending to 1.1 million sq. ft., 630 apartments and 0.4 million sq. ft. of offices. All our properties are close to the main West End Underground stations, and within ten minutes' walk of the two West End transport hubs for the Elizabeth Line, at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street.

@shaftesburyplc shaftesbury.co.uk

About London College of Fashion

London College of Fashion, UAL, leads the world in fashion business, media and design education. They have been nurturing creative talent for over a century, offering courses in all things fashion. With their philosophy of open and inclusive education, they encourage students to examine the past and question the present. To develop inventive, assertive ideas that challenge social and political agendas. And they give them the skills, opportunities - and above all, the freedom - to put those ideas into practice. As they look towards their move to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2023, they are forging partnerships, opening up opportunities, and creating connections with east London's schools, community and industry. Part of East Bank, a new culture, education and innovation development, their single-site campus will spark collaboration, experimentation, and inspiration - all under one roof. In doing so, they'll continue to pioneer how we all consume and practice fashion. Use fashion business, media and design to shape culture, economics, and society. And through fashion, shape lives.

About Joshua Millard

An essence of rural Dorset in Carnaby, Joshua Millard offers made-to-measure tailoring for women; each piece is carefully considered and constructed in-house by hand, using the finest British and Italian cloths. The collection reflects women who seek pieces with a wear and wear again appeal. Exclusive to the store, clients are given the opportunity to customise their made to measure piece, once they have selected their style from the cross seasonal range of silhouettes. His signature range features nuances of bygone heritage, tailored cuts, contemporary fabrics and shearling.

Joshua prides himself on collaborating with independent tailors, seamstresses and mills across the UK and Europe who embody the same values in regards to quality and ethical production. The concept of the store draws upon aspects of Millard's upbringing on an organic sheep farm in Dorset. The store features natural materials, including rails that the tailor crafted himself from fallen ash trees. A portion of each sale is donated to PlantLife, a charity that promotes endangered wildflower growth in UK arable habitats.

www.joshua-millard.com / @joshua.millard