THE BRIT SCHOOL IS THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE A TRANSFORMATIONAL TWO YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH MODERN BRITISH LUXURY BRAND BURBERRY AS THE PRINCIPAL PARTNER OF THE SCHOOLS FASHION, STYLING & TEXTILE COURSE.

As the UK’s leading free performing and creative arts school for young people aged 14-19, The BRIT School has been an incubator for raw talent for over 30 years. Today, we are delighted to announce the launch of a partnership that will see Burberry named as the Principal Partner of the School’s Fashion, Styling and Textile course and the creation of a Burberry Stepping Stones Bursary Prize.

The BRIT School developed a pioneering new Post 16 level course exploring Fashion, Styling & Textiles (FST) in 2021. This UAL accredited extended diploma explores a variety of technical skills with a fashion focus from textiles, pattern cutting, print, photography, styling, fashion illustration, editorial and graphic design. The BRIT School’s innovative course enables young people, regardless of background, the opportunity to embark on a career in the fashion industry.

As the Principal Partner of The BRIT School’s Fashion, Styling & Textiles course, Burberry, Britain's leading luxury fashion brand, will champion and enhance this new creative discipline and enable us to provide free education and learning to young people who wish to pursue a career in the fashion industry. Every young person attends The BRIT School for free. However, the School needs external investment in order to continue offering world-class training and professional facilities at no cost to families empowering BRIT to remain accessible to all.

This two-year partnership will centre on a donation from Burberry that will enable The BRIT School to remain free, supporting the education and industry-ready curriculum delivery to 50 students currently studying Fashion Styling and Textiles at the School. The BRIT School’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion programme is deeply embedded with a commitment to breaking down social and financial barriers for young people who want creativity as part of their future, regardless of their background, beliefs or who they are. Based in Selhurst, one of the most deprived areas in the London Borough of Croydon, The School operates on the principle of inclusivity and the celebration of diversity in all its forms, which is illustrated by its 10,000 plus former graduates working across the creative industries.

In addition to this transformational support, the Fashion, Styling and Textiles course will benefit from further funding to purchase extra kit and equipment for the course. Burberry staff will also participate in a student enrichment programme where they will share their industry skills directly supporting the learning outcomes of the students. Finally, we are delighted to announce the creation of the Burberry Stepping Stones Bursary Prize. The prize will offer two graduating year 13 students of global majority backgrounds financial support as they embark on a creative career or undertake further education.

Geoffrey Williams, Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Burberry commented:

“I couldn’t have imagined what my time at The BRIT School would give me and how the creativity and industry insight provided there would help shape my career over the years. Through this partnership, we hope to help students of the Fashion, Styling & Textiles course fulfil their career ambitions, and create a more inclusive pipeline of upcoming creatives in the fashion industry.”

Stuart Worden, Principal of The BRIT School added:

“This is a defining moment for The BRIT School to be partnering with Burberry, a leader in the British creative industries. The BRIT School is both a shelter for students to be who they want to be and a springboard from which to achieve ambitious career goals in the creative world. Through Burberry’s generous support, we’re looking forward to connecting our students to industry professionals and to offering enhanced facilities on our Fashion Styling & Textiles course for students to train to professional standards and be industry ready.”

ENDS