Louise Wilson Fashion Fund

On Wednesday the 1st of July, the May Fair hotel hosted the official launch of the Louise Wilson MA Fashion Fund.  The fashion fund was a memorial to honor the life and accomplishments of Professor Louise Wilson OBE, an innovative fashion educator who taught at University of the Arts London Central Saint Martins, and who passed away last year.

Central Saint Martins is a school known worldwide for the innovation and enthusiasm of its students, staff, and graduates with an outstanding reputation for educating foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate and research students. Core factors necessary to study at the College are experimentation, inventiveness, taking risks, asking questions, and discovery, all amidst an encouraging educational environment.

This evening was held to raise awareness for the fund, aimed at securing an excellent establishment for MA fashion at Central Saint Martin.  This event saw the appearance of designers and fashion insiders who gathered together to set this fund off with a bang.  Fashion figures and influencers such as Christopher Kane, Roksanda Ilincic, Simone Rocha, Todd Lynn, and LVMH Graduate prize winner Matty Bovan were all present in honor of Louise.

By giving financial support to the course at the university, the fundraiser will improve and diversify an educational environment with an unrivaled reputation for releasing the top professional talent into the global fashion industry.  The fund is committed to providing talented students, regardless of where they come from, with the life altering opportunities that come with an outstanding creative education.

Students who face economic hardship will be given aid, have greater exposure to an assortment of global creative expertise, and have top-notch technical equipment available to them.  Overall this will contribute to the development of a broader academic and socially responsive agenda.

Louise has left a wonderful legacy, especially with this fund.  Her warm personality was illustrated when a plethora of colleagues and friends spoke powerfully about how heartily they agreed with her opinion that children of lesser privilege deserve the right to an education that won’t keep them behind more financially advantaged children.

One of the speakers was Head of Central Saint Martins and Pro Vice Chancellor of University of the Arts London, Professor Jeremy Till.  To demonstrate his support for Louise and her cause, he said, “As the best fashion course in the world, as evidenced by the alumni, shows and staff, it helps the industry stay vibrant both economically and creatively.  We carry on her commitment to stay the best in the world.”

There were other speakers who had plenty of nice things to say about Louise as well.  One was Inderneel Singh, the General Manager of The May Fair Hotel, who said, “The May Fair sits at the heart of the fashion industry and every year welcomes the world’s fashion elite as the Official Hotel of London Fashion Week. We are extremely proud to support such a worthy and important cause as the Louise Wilson MA Fashion Fund and hope that the evening will prove very successful in continuing the fantastic work undertaken by Louise throughout her lifetime”.

Even though Louise is gone, her memory lives on through the Louise Wilson MA Fashion Fund, giving others a chance to succeed from any background.