The lifestyle and apparel brand, Smiley is sponsoring the Global Fashion Agenda’s Designer Challenge 2023 as it follows the sustainable design processes of exceptional Creative Directors taking their ideas from paper to final product.
Through Smiley’s Future Positive Creative Fund, the team aims to provide support and mentorship to ground-breaking designers on their creative journey, sharing the GFA’s common goal of driving positive impact by ‘nurturing and assisting creative talent.’
The Challenge will take place as part of the Global Fashion Agenda’s Global Fashion Summit and its theme this year of Ambition to Action, a theme landed upon to motivate shareholders, leaders, and those in a position of influence to commit to positive change.
Last month, Smiley detailed the launch of its Smiley Future Creators Fund in which nine young designers were handpicked by the Smiley team to receive a share of a £500,000 fund and mentorship to develop their skills and concepts in sustainable fashion.
Each designer selected for the bi-annual Future Creators Fund will receive a mentoring programme from Positive Luxury worth £10,000 while Smiley will work alongside a selection to mentor them on how to develop a 360-degree licensing collaboration with an IP.
“I am incredibly proud to support these young designers in their journey towards building a more sustainable future. This project has been designed to help kickstart, drive, and inspire sustainability both internally and externally and create excitement and momentum on this hugely important agenda,” said Nicholas Loufrani, ceo and founder of Smiley Originals.
“The Future Positive project is about responsible consumption. We are trying to get all our licensees to develop a growing share of their Smiley products made with sustainable materials and in more sustainable factories, and we are making tough choices in the process.
“The Creator Fund has shown the team – and our licensees – that we are determined to make this happen. This is not talking about where we want to be in five years’ time but investing in concrete projects now.”
While this year’s focus has been on fashion, next year Smiley Creators project will involve the lifestyle consumer products team to help advance change across food, beauty, home décor, stationery, and gifts.
