Elevate Event: Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Fashion & Technology

1. Elevate at LCF and LSBU IEEC 2016 Parallel Session 5D 8th September 2016 Dan Henderson: FBS Developments Director & Head of Student Enterprise, LCF Liz Gee: FBS Programme Director Fashion Management, LCF Linsey Cole: LSBU Head of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute Dr. Safia Barikzai: LSBU Senior Lecturer & Enterprise Champion, School of Engineering

2. The Take Away • A clear sense of how your own institution may be able to leverage its strengths with an un/likely collaboration partner • 2. A toolkit to help with the planning and executing a collaborative event • 3. Some of the outcomes and impact to enhance the student experience, engagement, enterprise and employability • 4. The value of interdisciplinary collaboration

3. The Beginning What happens when you put fashion students with business ideas together in a room with some IT student consultants for an afternoon of working together…. add pizza and beer and shake vigorously? The Elevate Event….

4. The Aim This workshop will share the story of The Elevate Event, a new collaboration between LCF and LSBU to share practice and expertise in enterprise education. We will reflect on what we learnt, the impact on the student experience and our plans for the future.

5. The Structure • Context • Institutions • Interactive Activity • Elevate Event • Summary

6. The Context The fashion industry is constantly evolving due to disruptive innovation in technology. Inter disciplinary collaboration with the tech industry is therefore vital for the next generation of fashion graduates to be able to effectively respond to this changing space. The Elevate Event was the start of a transformational journey for both students and staff in the two diverse institutions working together..

7. The Institutions • LCF and LSBU met over coffee at IEEC 2015 - The power of networking! • LCF and LSBU are close geographically but very different institutions in terms of enterprise support!

8. The Interactive Activity • Over to Linsey and Safia

9. The Elevate Event • Format • Successes • Challenges • Student Feedback • Conclusion

10. The Elevate Event • Format • The event began with a round of ‘speed networking’ between LCF and LSBU students. • Within a short space of time students had self-selected into 9 groups based on compatibility and personalities. • Such small groups allowed detailed exposure to the technical skills of the LSBU students, who were able to critique and develop creative ideas from the LCF students.

12. The Elevate Event • Format • After two hours the groups had clear and refined business models and an understanding of the best way to implement them online. • The findings were then presented back to the whole group at the presentation ceremony.

14. The Elevate Event • Successes • The overall winners were Laura Salisbury from LCF and Avvaiganeshan Kanagasabe from LSBU, with their idea of an app to generate an online presence for garment fastening concepts, which test today’s making/manufacturing processes. • They received a prize and the trophies on behalf of each College and were crowned the first ever ‘Elevate Champions’. • http://blogs.arts.ac.uk/fashion/2016/03/23/elevate-london-college-fashion/

16. The Elevate Event • Challenges • Usual suspects:- • Time/Space/People/Budget • Student engagement • Late arrivals • Student understanding of the event • Event itself:- • Format of the speed networking?

17. The Elevate Event • Student Feedback • ‘Amazing initiative! Learnt a lot about developing an idea by working with someone with knowledge about computers and the web. Listening to other students present was very inspirational, this was a great and successful challenge’. • ‘It was really helpful advice.  I learnt that there are more specific things I can do to build my business plan, instead of just a website’. • ‘I learnt how to progress an idea into a business and which pathway is suitable for each venture. It was very valuable and insightful, I enjoyed networking. More workshops like this should be run’.

18. ‘The infusion of creative and technical minds at this event enables the development of practical business ideas, collaborative working and making new friends, topped off with the chance to win prizes for your ideas AND free pizza (what more could you want)!’.

19. The Elevate Event • Conclusion • A great event • The students are still in contact as are the staff! • We’re going to run the event again…

20. The Summary • Inspire • To inspire delegates to reflect on their practice and think about new approaches to collaboration, both within and outside of their institution. • Innovate I • Elevate was a safe space to experiment for students and staff, learning together a new approach to enterprise support for both LCF and LSBU • Impact I • Improving the student experience and potential economic impact in improving student businesses

21. The Contacts at LCF and LSBU Dan Henderson: FBS Developments Director & Head of Student Enterprise, LCF d.henderson@fashion.arts.ac.uk Liz Gee: FBS Programme Director Fashion Management, LCF l.gee@fashion.arts.ac.uk Linsey Cole: LSBU Head of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute l.cole@lsbu.ac.uk Dr. Safia Barikzai: LSBU Senior Lecturer & Enterprise Champion, School of Engineering safia.barikzai@lsbu.ac.uk

22. The End!