Lulu Kennedy Sees Herself As A "Foster Mum" To Young Designers.

Lulu Kennedy Sees Herself As A "Foster Mum" To Young Designers

           Lulu Kennedy sees herself as a "foster mum" to young designers

The designer is renowned for honing talent - having been instrumental in the rise of designers including Roksanda Ilincic, Gareth Pugh and Jonathan Saunders - and advises all hopefuls to seek help and collaboration in their nascent careers.

She told The Guardian newspaper her best advice was: "Don't try to do everything by yourself."

Of the role her Fashion East company plays, she added: "I'm just a foster mum. The designers are with me for one or two seasons and then I let them go. I can't grant them wishes. They make things happen. They've got to put the work in."

Lulu - who describes her personality as a "bossy big sister" - also explained the way in which the non-profit Fashion East initiative can aid designers in launching their careers.

She added: "Yeah, they're all friends. Basically, what we do is select designers we believe in the most and who need some support and then we give them sponsorship, a show, advice and mentoring. We bring a good audience into the show and we give them a small bursary as well, which doesn't get very far. The equivalent would be a music industry showcase