WE ARE FEP LAUNCHES NEW DIGITAL SERVICES - COVID SERIES

The recent pandemic caused the fashion industry to pause and reset. Becky Mullins, Creative Director at We Are FEP, has outlined how they have been adapting to the changes and supporting the industry by creating a digital presence for their company and the emerging brands and graduates they support. We Are FEP is a one stop creative production company, offering all types of fashion production from shoots, runways, installations, pop ups and parties. The creative division of the company represents models, makeup artists, stylists and photographers, as well as Art Directors and performers. We Are FEP works with brands from startup, assisting them on branding, sales marketing, and all types of content creation leading on to PR with their experienced PR division. Their core aim is to create memorable fashion experiences and events that monetise the brand and gain global exposure for the brand.

When lockdown began, Becky started the free of charge YouTube channel Fashion Inc, allowing companies to submit their brand video to promote themselves and help build relationships, aiding the audience to see the faces behind the brands. Becky runs IGTV live videos with these brands every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, increasing their social media following and connecting them with bigger audiences. Through this medium, they have assisted the brands in becoming more digital, and clients have claimed they love the way it has significantly gained them more followers on social media. As a company, it has also meant an increase in business for We Are FEP, as the audience see the faces behind the company, strengthening relationships, building trust, and garnering further brands looking for mentoring, branding and PR services. Becky explained that, “The change was strange at first, but now we have adapted to it, and love the time it gives us to do things in a new digital way, as opposed to rushing around London attending meetings and spending half the day stuck on public transport. We are thus able to use our time more efficiently in assisting our clients.”

We Are FEP work with their clients on all aspects of fashion business to help build fashion brands with longevity. They themselves have adapted and rebranded and their new website will be launched in the next few weeks with the facility to stream digital events from their website. With the current Covid situation meaning that no events will happening for the foreseeable future, We Are FEP have moved with the new digital way of working, planning digital fashion shows, installations and e-commerce pop ups. They have also recently partnered with the Fashion Channel in Milan in order to also stream their shows to their 2 million subscribers.

Becky Mullins Director- We Are FEP

All enquiries enquiries@fashioneventsandproductions.com

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You tube channel Fashion Inc

We Are FEP new website will be live in August

FINDING PEACE IN CHAOS

By Akua Quao

Is life slapping you in the face with problems?  The reality is that if you ask any adult, they will confirm that this is the path in life; the key is learning how to travel through that rough journey as smoothly as possible.

But how can we really succeed in life if we are stressed, tired and worn out by the challenges of this world?  Alongside the current crisis of Covid-19, you may also have already been contending with some very difficult daily battles such as trying to make ends meet, find a job, overcome illness, look for solutions to a difficult relationship. The list is practically endless. You may even be showing a bold front when you are hurting inside because the challenges you face really do appear insurmountable.

Now that we are limited in how we can socially interact due to social distancing guidelines, we will understandably have concerns about going back to our regular places to relax and unwind. No doubt this could or will increase our anxiety levels causing us to sometimes feel a more heightened amount of stress than usual.

Researchers have found that people who take the time to intentionally take care of themselves reduce the likelihood of feeling low. Continually worrying about issues can cloud our judgement. It can also limit our ability to have adequate rest which will have a compounded effect on eating and sleep patterns. So, what could we possibly take away from the lockdown experience and turn to our advantage?  Perhaps we can firstly reflect and ask ourselves a few important questions

What am I presently doing daily to ensure I have strength and stamina?

Am I really taking enough time to rest and recuperate?

What can I currently do with the resources I have to improve my health and wellbeing?

The answers could be a lot, a little or nothing. If you are currently doing a fair amount to take good care of yourself, that’s great! But if you are not, then this is a good juncture to begin to take little steps towards feeling more rested and at peace.

A good place to start is with what you have. Something we all have is the gift of time and how we choose to use it, and a good first step would be to simply spend time on yourself. This could be achieved in so many ways without even needing to leave the house.

Pamper yourself in the bathroom

enjoy a good movie

read a good book

Put on some music and dance

To be honest, do anything that will feel like a special treat to you. The most important thing is to take the time to do what you love and enjoy it, as what you are ultimately doing is establishing your inner peace.

When you have achieved that sense of inner peace during chaos, you will be revitalised and able to think up practical strategies for improving the areas of your life that continue to be troubled.

Let us promise ourselves that from today, we will use the various resources available to help us repair, nourish and restore our bodies and mind. Enjoy!

Akua is an educator and public health practitioner with extensive experience in health communications.  She has over 20 years’ experience of working with organisations where she established public health initiatives underpinned by health promotion theory, which focus on awareness raising, influencing behaviour change and addressing social and health inequalities.  

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD – FOR WHO?

By Grace Thompson

Boris’ has unveiled a new promise of ‘build, build, build’. Anyone who can recall Blair’s mantra of ‘education, education, education’ will know that the three-word slogan isn’t a new thing, and such slogans are often seen to be the magic recipe for change. It just didn’t seem to work with ‘Brexit means Brexit’ or ‘strong and stable’.

The stability of Boris Johnson’s ‘New Deal’ is in question, particularly for those in society who arguably need a ‘New Deal’ the most – the homeless. The £12bn for affordable homes is commendable, as are various other home-building measures outlined in the plans. None of them, however, seem to directly equate to housing those without a home, especially those who sleep rough or sofa surf from one house to the next. People staying in emergency accommodation aren’t usually at the stage of looking for affordable housing immediately. Nor are discounts for first time buyers usually relevant either. At the point of emergency, many simply want a secure roof over their head.

One positive aspect to come out of the Government’s plans is the use of £400m for 24,000 homes (the Brownfield Land Fund) at the discretion of the 7 regions it has been given to. Greater regional power is perhaps the hidden key to fighting homelessness in the future. Just as we are now tackling COVID-19 by imposing local lockdowns and concentrating on hotspots, we can fight homelessness by spotting patterns and drawing links in areas and demographics. Rather than labelling one root generic cause for homelessness, there will sometimes be different causes in different towns, cities, regions and countries. The introduction of City Mayors in the UK has done wonders for more direct oversight over regional problems. The ability is there to target resource on issues that may look very different in Greater Manchester, for example, than they do in West Yorkshire. Perhaps these powers will even be strengthened in the future.

To pretend we are not in a very difficult financial position as a country is unrealistic. As tens of thousands of people lose jobs, the need for a stronger welfare net is imperative and the risk of homelessness will undoubtedly rise.

Across the pond, Australia is already working innovatively, despite the pandemic, to begin to eradicate homelessness. In a Guardian article from June 2020 it is reported that New South Wales, for example, has already put up $36 million to secure homes from the private rental market, to try and get people out of the insecure hotel accommodation they were in previously.

Perhaps now is the time for homelessness policy in the UK to receive a creative boost. Housing First initiatives across the UK have been broadly successful, so perhaps it is time to think how to turn them from an experiment to a policy norm? Although this is definitely not the holistic solution to homelessness, we have to start somewhere. Though I would respectfully suggest that pithy slogans are not the starting point!

Grace Thompson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-h-thompson