The Fashion District Festival is set to take over East London’s Spitalfields for its highly anticipated third iteration from 3 – 8 June 2025.
The six-day festival will offer a celebration of sustainable, circular and regenerative fashion. Bringing together fashion enthusiasts, conscious shoppers and start up entrepreneurs, the festival centres around four key themes of WATCH, SHOP, MAKE and GROW.
As part of this year’s programme, the Fashion District Festival proudly partners with SXSW London, showcasing global pioneers and trailblazers in fashion technology and sustainability. The programme includes a live fashion performance showcase, a curated pop-up shop and exclusive industry events, uniting creative minds across fashion, tech, music and more.
WATCH: Experience a one-off fashion performance showcase that will celebrate London’s extraordinary fashion talent. An evening of creative content, supported by our screen and content provider C-Screens, that blends fashion with dance, tech and music to innovate and challenge ‘the catwalk’.
SHOP: Explore a curated pop-up, which will host pre-loved, swapped, upcycled and repair brands. Conscious shoppers can discover more sustainable ways to engage with fashion, learn how to give clothing a second life and explore the latest trends in upcycling. Previous partners have included Depop, By Rotation, Lone Design Club, The Seam and more.
MAKE: Delivered by designer labels and brands to engage the wider public, workshops will include upcycling, craft, customisation, and digital fashion design to embed new values through creative experiences, focused around the three R’s: Repair, Reuse, and Regenerate.
GROW: Fashion businesses, start-ups, brands and investors can learn and connect at a series of roundtables, talks, and workshops that delve into the ideas and innovations driving change within the industry, including themes such as circular design, regenerative practice, biomaterials, early-stage investment and more.
Helen Lax, Director of Fashion District, comments: “We’re thrilled to bring the Fashion District Festival back to East London’s Spitalfields this year, spotlighting the next generation of talent and innovation in sustainability. For us, the festival is a platform for progress, and in a new 2025 collaboration with SXSW London we will explore critical industry themes. By championing emerging designers, start-ups and thought leaders, we aim to reshape the fashion landscape, making it easier for communities to shop consciously while supporting a more sustainable and circular approach. Our mission is to shift industry perspectives, ignite new ideas and inspire change, paving the way for a more responsible, innovative and inclusive future for fashion.”
Katy Arnander, Director of Programming, SXSW London, adds: “London has long been recognized as a global hub for fashion, serving not only as a birthplace, but also as a major point of convergence for consumers and designers worldwide. SXSW London is excited to celebrate this creativity with the Fashion District, who have their home firmly rooted in East London and Spitalfields. Fashion District represents some of the UK’s most thoughtful and dynamic emerging talent, while playing a vital role integrating sustainability and circular fashion into the very fabric of innovation.“
Jason Dervin, Spitalfields Estate Director, says, “We are so proud to host the ever-inspiring Fashion District Festival for the second time. It’s fantastic to champion sustainable start-ups, emerging talent and brands in such a dynamic way. This vibrant celebration perfectly complements our existing shops and eateries, and we cannot wait to see everyone at the festival this summer.”
Fashion District Festival is made possible through the support of London College of Fashion, UAL, and its partners SXSW, Spitalfields E1 and C-Screens. All events can be booked via the Fashion District website (fashion-district.co.uk) from April 2025.
ABOUT FASHION DISTRICT
Fashion District at London College of Fashion, UAL, is a global hub for fashion innovation and sustainability in east London. It connects fashion, technology, business and education to support the growth of the fashion industry and provides affordable space, business support, innovation and investment networks.
ABOUT SXSW FESTIVAL
A global platform celebrating the convergence of creativity, culture and innovation, SXSW’s inaugural European edition SXSW London builds on the brand’s decades of success in Austin and now Sydney.
Between June 2-7 2025 SXSW London will take over dozens of venues, galleries, clubs and spaces around Shoreditch in east London, including many independent and community-led spaces. In addition to the inspiring keynotes, music showcases, and innovations in tech, gaming and screen that fans have come to expect from SXSW, SXSW London will introduce new arts and culture programming in a first for the brand globally. SXSW London will also feature a particular focus on creative sectors and talent from across Europe, and is anticipated to generate over £75M in direct economic benefits for London and the UK.
ABOUT SPITALFIELDS E1
Spitalfields E1, London’s most historical market set in the heart of the East End, is renowned for its strong sense of diversity and spirit. A mecca of unique goods – Spitalfields E1 is an Aladdin’s cave for Londoners and tourists alike. Its history mixed with the buzz of the East London art scene is what makes the market so vibrant and one of the best places to visit in the city.
After almost two decades of regeneration work, Spitalfields E1 revealed a new look in 2005 with the creation of two new public spaces, Bishop’s Square and Crispin Place and the restoration of several historic streets in E1. Today, an eclectic mix of independent retailers stand strong. On visiting Spitalfields, customers can expect to find unique art and crafts nestled amongst stunning clothing, homeware, and eateries.
ABOUT LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION, UAL
London College of Fashion, UAL, leads the world in fashion business, media and design education. We’ve been nurturing creative talent for over a century, offering courses in all things fashion. With our philosophy of open and inclusive education, we encourage students to examine the past and question the present. To develop inventive, assertive ideas that challenge social and political agendas. And we give them the skills, opportunities – and above all, the freedom – to put those ideas into practice. From our new home at East Bank, the UK’s newest cultural quarter at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, we’re forging partnerships, opening up opportunities, and creating connections with east London’s schools, community and industry. Our new home has brought all of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, from all of our three schools, under one roof for the very first time. In doing so, we’ll continue to pioneer how we use fashion business, media and design to shape culture, economics, and society. And through fashion, shape lives.
For more information, visit: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-fashion
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