Fashion Open Studio Criteria

Fashion Open Studio highlights designers who are actively working to find solutions to the key challenges facing them, from tackling studio waste to responsible production and sourcing, or finding ways to integrate their businesses with social enterprise initiatives for a mindful, more purposeful industry.

We have a stratified approach depending on the size and scope and sense of purpose of a brand or designer. When selecting designers, we are also selecting truly innovative and groundbreaking talent in terms of aesthetic propositions and we require at least three of the following criteria:

Active pursuit of business models that put the planet and people before profit - but that can still sustain themselves as a business or social enterprise, with responsibility to pay their employees, suppliers, and their partners a living wage.
Challenging themselves to find solutions to particular problems in the supply chain/ sourcing/ production system to eliminate waste/pollution etc.
Creating a business that celebrates transparency and accountability in their processes, sourcing, and pricing to show the value of their product or their service
Understand and use regenerative systems in their choices of materials, services they offer to repair, resell, rejuvenate clothing and textiles already in existence.
Creating ways to rethink clothing use, production, purchasing transactions.
Use local networks to connect fibre production which value and remunerate makers, and create regenerative systems of clothing production and use.