Leicester Designers Connect at Fashion Hub Drop-In Networking Event

On 4th March Leicester’s creative community gathered at Leicester’s Fashion Hub for a Designer Drop-In Day, an informal networking event designed to connect designers, entrepreneurs and industry experts.

Hosted at the Fashion Hub, Phoenix House, 1 King Street, from 2 – 6pm, the event was organised in partnership with the Apparel and Textiles Manufacturers Federation (ATMF) and supported by LCB Depot. The open-door format welcomed everyone from emerging start-ups to established creative entrepreneurs, offering a relaxed environment to meet, share ideas and explore opportunities within Leicester’s fashion manufacturing sector.

Visitors had the opportunity to meet Fashion-Enter Ltd CEO and ATMF Chair Jenny Holloway, tour the fully equipped sampling and production facility, and learn how the Fashion Hub supports designers in developing high-quality samples before scaling into efficient bulk manufacture. Attendees were free to drop in for a quick 20-minute visit or stay for the afternoon – over coffee, chocolate biscuits and conversation.

The event proved far more popular than expected, attracting designers from across the UK. One brand, My Little Madam Limited, travelled from Wales and even stayed overnight in Leicester to meet the city’s renowned fabric suppliers.

Industry professionals were also generous with their time and expertise. Anne Foxley-Green travelled from Peterborough with her husband and spent time supporting new start-up and scale-up designers, while designer Millie Fullalove impressed attendees with her skill on the twin-needle machine and her willingness to mentor emerging creatives.

The afternoon highlighted the strength of Leicester’s collaborative fashion community, bringing together like-minded people to support one another, exchange knowledge and build networks.

Special thanks were given to LCB Depot and James Burkmar for helping to launch these new designer networking sessions, with more events planned following the launch of Canopy next week in partnership with Leicester City Council.

FEL’s Fashion Hub at Phoenix House, King Street, Leicester continues to open its doors to designers looking to access professional industrial equipment and UK-based sampling and production support.

For more information about using the Leicester Fashion Hub facilities, designers can contact divya@fashion-enter.com