Shop on Impakter Eco
  • Women
  • Men
  • Kids
  • Beautycare
  • Home & Living
  • Food & Drinks
  • Pets
Impakter
  • Shop Eco
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
    • Entertainment
    • Literature
    • Music
    • Photography
  • Style
    • Architecture
    • Design
    • Fashion
    • Foodscape
    • Lifestyle
  • Society
    • Business
    • Environment
    • Foreign Affairs & Politics
    • Health
    • Tech
    • Science
    • Start-up
  • Impact
    • Eco Life
    • Circular Economy
    • COP26
    • CityLife
      • Copenhagen
      • San Francisco
      • Seattle
      • Sydney
    • Sustainability Series
      • SDGs Series
      • Shape Your Future
      • 2030: Dream or Reality
    • Philanthropy
      • United Nations
      • NGO & Charities
      • Essays
    • Your Voice
      • Empower Earth
      • Empower Equality
  • SUSTAINABILITY INDEX
  • Startup-Hub
    • Companies
    • Investors
    • Organisations
    • Jobs
    • Events
  • Partners
  • About
    • Team
    • Global Leaders
    • Contributors
    • Write for Impakter
    • IMPAKTER Italy
    • Republishing Content
    • Permissions and Copyright
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Impakter
No Result
View All Result
Home Style Design

Fashioning Change with Claire Swift

Anna Ellis-ReesbyAnna Ellis-Rees
October 15, 2018
in Design, Fashion, Style
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Claire Swift is many things: designer, innovator, educator, activist. More specifically, she is the Director of Social Responsibility at London College of Fashion where she is busy inspiring those around her and within the wider community. With the philosophy that fashion is unstoppable in its power to shape peoples’ lives, she has been a leading voice in the various projects developed under LCF’S Better Lives agenda.

Throughout her career, Claire Swift has worked to support a range of people, from fashion students to female offenders. In doing so, she has contributed to at least five Sustainable Development Goals: no poverty (SDG 1), quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).

In our interview she discusses the different paths she has taken in her life, as well as the important role that fashion can play in making our society a more sustainable one.

In the photo: Collection from designer Bethany Williams and the women of San Patrignano rehabilitation facility

How did you come to work on social responsibility within the fashion industry? 

Claire Swift: My life and career has been dominated by fashion from an early age. I would describe myself as a ‘maker-designer’ as I found that ‘making’ was, and still is, for me the most enjoyable aspect of designing. The explosion of the 80’s was such an exciting and vibrant time – I feel privileged to have been part of such an era. Living through key moments in fashion history – the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s – were fun, as was frivolously playing with image and identity and being part of a community.

My decision to leave the industry and concentrate on teaching at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, defined another phase of my career. During this period of time, I enjoyed contributing towards the success of the Womenswear Programme that has produced some incredibly talented young people, some of whom have become recognised names, influencers and activists within the fashion industry.

The most significant moment of my career was becoming the Director of Social Responsibility at LCF, my current role. The work that we have developed as a team comes under the college’s Better Lives agenda. We co-create innovative and dynamic projects instigating a dialogue between staff, students, women offenders and the wider community, using fashion concepts, skills and outcomes to create positive change, redefining its role within today’s society.

What does social responsibility mean to you and what role can fashion play? 

CS: Fashion is a great connector. It permeates all aspects of our culture, business and society. We cannot underestimate the influence that it has because it is so intrinsically intertwined with our everyday lives. And it is precisely fashion’s ability to connect to a diverse audience that defines it as a powerful tool for Social Responsibility here at LCF.

You’ve done a lot of work with female offenders.  What inspired this?

CS: My first experience of working with women in prison was in 2010. I realised then how remarkable fashion can be: it breaks down barriers, it encourages extraordinary talent and creativity and can contribute towards a sense of well-being. This inspired me to continue to work with women in prison, to provide real opportunities, to build their self-confidence and enable hope for a future for themselves and their families.

What are you working on at the moment?

CS: Our projects involve everyone who wishes to participate – staff, students, women offenders, community participants. We embark on a journey together and we create change together; everyone is part of the process and everyone shares in its success.

‘Making for Change’ is a fully-equipped fashion training and CMT manufacturing unit within a women’s prison. Established by the Ministry of Justice and London College of Fashion in 2014, the project aims to increase well-being and reduce reoffending rates amongst participants by equipping them with technical knowledge, professional manufacturing skills and qualifications within a supportive environment. This helps enable them to become employable upon release and in so doing gives them the confidence to change their futures.

In addition, the project strives to support new designers and entrepreneurs and to develop unique partnerships with universities, charities and the social enterprise sector. We also promote the “Made in the UK” campaign through the development of high-quality products.

In the photo: LCF staff and students march with banner representing the women at HMP Downview

Another one of our projects is ‘Processions’. To commemorate the Centenary of the Representation of the People’s Act, in collaboration with Historic England, artist Lucy Orta, LCF staff and students worked with inmates at HMP Downview women’s prison as part of Artichoke’s nationwide mass-participation art project. Over a period of three months they delivered a programme of educational and practical workshops to produce seven banner art-pieces that represented the women at HMP Downview in a procession in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast on 10 June 2018.

Finally, we are working on Conscious Contemporary Tailoring. Supported by the Zegna Foundation and facilitated by the social responsibility department at LCF, this project brings communities together: the women of the weaving department at San Patrignano, the women of LCF’s Making for Change project and BA Menswear students. San Patrignano is a community that focuses on the rehabilitation of young people affected by drug issues. As an alternative to a prison sentence, the young people actively engage with their own transformation through education and learning to be specialists in a craft skill.

Working with young people, what legacy do you want Better Lives to leave for future generations?

CS: London College of Fashion’s ethos of ‘Better Lives’ first emerged over ten years ago as a result of Head of College, Professor Frances Corner’s vision to elevate fashion as a force for positive change. It is our guiding principle, and now is the time for fashion to extend and expand its influence, to counter its traditional stereotype as a lightweight subject. LCF students represent the future of the fashion industry and they have the power to change the course of the industry from within.

 

Many thanks to Claire Swift, Director of Social Responsibility, London College of Fashion, UAL.


EDITORS NOTE: THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE BY IMPAKTER.COM COLUMNISTS ARE THEIR OWN, NOT THOSE OF IMPAKTER.COM  FEATURED PHOTO CREDIT: ANNIE SPRATT
Tags: Better LivesClaire SwiftConscious Contemporary TailoringFrances CornerHistoric EnglandHMP DownviewLondon College of FashionMaking for ChangeSan Patrignanosocial responsibilitySustainable fashionUniversity of the Arts London
Previous Post

A Sustainable City is an Equitable City

Next Post

Navya Autonomous and Electric Vehicles

Anna Ellis-Rees

Anna Ellis-Rees

Anna is a graduate from the University of Cambridge where she majored in Japanese language and culture. She lived in Kyoto for one year where she spent her time studying and travelling around Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Anna currently resides in South London and enjoys writing about a variety of topics, from social justice to culture and the arts.

Related Posts

The 8 Best TikTok Accounts About Foraging
Agriculture

The 8 Best TikTok Accounts About Foraging

August 5, 2022
Green Ideas On Your Outdoor Spaces
Eco Life

Green Ideas On Your Outdoor Spaces

July 27, 2022
Why Fixing Is Better Than Replacing
Circular Economy

Why Fixing Is Better Than Replacing

July 24, 2022
Next Post
Navya Autonomous and Electric Vehicles

Navya Autonomous and Electric Vehicles

Recent News

Taiwan Crisis: 13 Chinese Aircraft Cross de Facto Border (Again)

Taiwan Crisis: 13 Chinese Aircraft Cross de Facto Border (Again)

August 13, 2022
Inflation Reduction Act climate bill

Does the Climate Bill Throw Environmental Justice Under the Bus?

August 13, 2022
The Arctic Is Warming 4 Times Faster Than Rest of the World – and More Quickly Than Previously Thought

The Arctic Is Warming 4 Times Faster Than Rest of the World – and More Quickly Than Previously Thought

August 13, 2022
impakter-logo-light

Impakter informs you through the eco news site and empowers your sustainable lifestyle with its eco products marketplace.

Visit here IMPAKTER ECO for your eco products needs.

Registered Office Address

32 Lots Road, London
SW10 0QJ, United Kingdom


IMPAKTER Limited

Company number: 10806931

Impakter is a publication that is identified by the following International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is the following 2515-9569 (Printed) and 2515-9577 (online – Website).


Office Hours - Monday to Friday

9.30am - 5.00pm CEST


Email

stories [at] impakter.com

About Us

  • Team
  • Contributors
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Partners

By Audience

  • Lifestyle
  • Green Finance
  • Culture
  • Society
  • Style
  • Impact

Impakter Platforms

  • Media
  • Up
  • Index
  • Eco for Sellers
  • Impakter Pro

© 2022 IMPAKTER. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Culture
  • Style
  • Society
  • Impact
  • ECO Products Shop – Try now!
  • INDEX – Sustainability Index
  • UP – Startup Hub
  • About
    • Partners
    • Team
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
Impakter.com uses cookies to enhance your experience when visiting the website and to serve you with advertisements that might interest you. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.