Welcome to the re launch of FashionCapital – the leading UK fashion portal.
FashionCapital aims to provide a one-stop online support resource for all areas of the Clothing and Fashion industry. Established in 2001 FashionCapital has a wealth of expertise to provide all users a unique insight into the fashion industry. A dedicated team of experts are here to support you and your business at every stage of its development.
FashionCapital combined with Fashion Enter in September 2006 to ensure a full offer of complete business support is now available. Fashion Enter has a network of boutiques, the fashion event Profile, an agency Representing, PR Dispensary Service and allows members to have on going mentoring and business advice sessions. The amalgamation of the two businesses has provided one of the most powerful forces in fashion today.
FashionCapital: The Content - Hanging it all together
The old adage “never judge a book by its cover” is never as pertinent as with FashionCapital. The site has already received three upgrades on design and navigation however its overwhelming success is the right, relevant, up-to-date and well researched content to back it up. FashionCapital also provides a unique answering service where experts from the industry are called upon to answer any specific queries you may have.
Some of the key areas currently on FashionCapital are:
- News - Relevant news and editorial stories for the industry updated on a daily basis. Useful contacts, Business Events Bulletins and Diary along with the very latest industry Press Releases and profiles. We also send out a weekly newswire each Wednesday registered members.
- Trends - The latest show reviews, trend forecasting reports and mood boards for future seasons
- The Knowledge Bank – The fashion universe. Fashion is an eclectic mix of many factors but with our new Fashion Universe section you will be able to review how all the elements of fashion combine and work together. This section of the site is a new area and work is commencing on this section daily. This combines the previous Business Section on FashionCapital which covers all the key skills you need to run a thriving company including features on funding/grants, marketing, retail advice, design, Business Support Organisations and much, much more.
- Suppliers – Find the right production unit for you by reviewing the Manufacturer’s Online Showroom. This is the only site in the UK that has a dedicated showroom that shows the production capacity availability of UK production units. There is also an online Directory to help your sourcing.
- Multimedia Gallery - Get inspired with our wide range of images and videos in the multimedia gallery. Sections include fashion from around the world, exhibitions, textiles, fashion through the ages and more. Our video section includes catwalk shows and exclusive interviews.
- Community – Our Discussion Forums are always very active as is the Who's Who directory. The Discussion Forums are the ideal place to ask questions, network, search for the perfect job, talk about aspects of the Fashion Industry that affect you, or to pass on valuable knowledge that you have gained. The Who's Who directory let's you meet other FashionCapital members and find out about them and their business.
- Learning - The Learning zone is here to support and advise those of you who want to establish a career in the fashion industry, whether at school, post-graduate or graduate level. There is information on the finest courses from UK HE/FE colleges and universities; information on placements and career advice; and an exclusive look at new learning models such as Getting It Right First Time.
- Boutique – On the FC Boutique you can purchase garments from some of the newest up and coming designers and retailers. This is currently being redeveloped in a consumer facing format and will have its own dedicated web address. This e-trading site has been developed to offer designers a cost effective website that will benefit from the extensive traffic received on FashionCapital. The annual cost for this website is £150 plus VAT per annum.
The site is constantly being developed and improved and recently, due to popular demand, we have added the new Manufacturer's Online Showroom - a first in the UK. Plus in the near future we will also be implementing further design changes and interactive elements to the site.
If you have any further queries about FashionCapital please complete the Feedback form and we will revert within 48 hours of your posting.
Fashion Capital Personnel Profiles
Jenny Holloway - Director 
Jenny Holloway has been working in the fashion industry for over twenty five years mostly in the private sector. Initially she was a buyer for Littlewoods, M&S and Principles for Women before opening her own label Retro. For almost ten years Jenny was Director of her successful business Retro UK Ltd which included retail boutiques, party plan, wholesaling to major retailers such as John Lewis, Principles and independents. Retro UK also had an excellent export business with key accounts in the Middle East and Europe .
In 2000 Jenny commenced a consultancy business and was approached to be an Industry Advisor on Government funded initiatives. In March 06 Jenny incorporated Fashion Enter Ltd.
Fashion Enter (www.fashion-enter.com) has over 1000 members with two retail boutiques; Croydon and Barking - a third is planned for Spring 08. Fashion Enter Ltd provides highly specialised support for designers today including www.fashioncapital.co.uk, a PR Dispensary service, an agency Representing, trade missions, seminars and workshops. One to one surgeries are also available. Fashion Enter also owns the Profile fashion trade event which showcases new and emerging designers and acts as a platform between Graduate Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. Profile is currently sponsored by Hobbs , Whistles, Debenhams and TopShop and is in association with Rah Productions.
Jenny comments: "Fashion is a fun and vibrant business, however, that's exactly what it is - a business. Designers, in particular, must ensure that they fully understand all areas of their product and business and working in fashion can be a minefield. It can also be a lonely place too. Designers today have to be the master of all trades and sometimes they need someone experienced to talk to who can offer quality advice. That’s exactly why we set up FashionCapital and Fashion Enter Ltd. We also work with a wide cross section of other sectors of the industry too, particularly manufacturing and logistics, therefore we can provide excellent networking opportunities to all levels of businesses throughout Clothing and Textiles.”
Vanessa Camelia - Development Manager 
Vanessa has creative blood running through her veins. Her great grandmother was a tailor to the Italian Army as was her Uncle and her mother was an extremely good pattern cutter too, therefore Vanessa had an early experience of clothes making, to which she remembers saying to her mother that she wanted to be a designer!
Determined to live out that dream, the journey began with a two year National Diploma in Fashion Design and Technology at the London College of Fashion, which opened her eyes to the requirements, needed not only to be very creative in design, but to also have an understanding of the technical implications required. The two-year course fuelled her passion for fashion even more.
Furthering her National Diploma Vanessa went straight to Degree level, which took place at The Kent Institute of Art and Design where she undertook a three-year degree in Fashion Design. This dynamic course taught me about the importance of presentation skills, design using CAD, portfolio presentation, range planning along with researching techniques – pattern cutting was taken to the next level, incorporating grading and working on the stand.
After graduating with 2.1 (BA Honours) In Fashion Design, Vanessa embarked into the world of fashion and into the world of work. Her first job was with Shelley Fox a fantastic conceptual designer. Following on from there, Vanessa worked with other various designers such as Maria Grachvogel, Sheila Maloney, and Jacqueline Hogan, however, Vanessa found working for designers rather restricting, nothing was ever set in concrete with regards to financial security. She decided she would rather work for a high street company.
Vanessa then took a job with Urban Girls Ltd and Gotham Angels. Urban Girls Ltd were a company who supplied designs to TopShop, Miss Selfridge, Etam and Warehouse.
Vanessa helped design the collections as well as carry out administration duties. Her role also included liasing with manufactories and CMT units, as well as fabric sourcing.
From there Vanessa took a job as a bridal fitter where she would encounter twelve brides a day for fittings on their wedding dresses. This is where her technical skills came to good use. Dresses and toiles had to fit like a glove and it was her duty to see this outcome achieved. After a year and a half, Vanessa found it time to move on. She wanted to get back into the fashion industry not necessarily design and she found jobs limited in this field, but somewhere that she would be able to gain knowledge and contacts within the fashion industry.
Vanessa is now part of the Fashion-Enter & FashionCapital team, and what a team! Vanessa is very excited about FashionCapital, it has immense potential and is the best 'website' out there in terms of informative information all being tied up together in one place offering impartial advice, support to small designers, networking, business opportunities, CMT and manufacturing.
Vanessa comments:“I am so happy to have finally found a job that combines my creative skills and research skills. Fashion-Enter has such a varied range of initiatives and projects that it provides a completely stimulating environment in which to work. I am really proud to be part of Fashion-Enter & FashionCapital and all the support it gives to the fashion sectors.”
JoJo Iles - Editor 
Editor and journalist JoJo Iles has notched up fifteen years of fashion industry experience. Previous jobs range from posing in front of the camera as a fashion model to predicting womenswear trends for the year ahead.
She has contributed as a journalist to www.fashioncapital.co.uk since July 2002 and freelances for a variety of websites and printed media.
On her role as Fashion Capital Editor JoJo comments: “People are waking up to the power of the web; it’s instant, accessible and interactive. I love being involved with it and I’m excited to be a part of the Fashion Capital team as the website enters its next phase.”
Yoel Morales - Technical Support 
Yoel is a passionate Engineer who has developed his career in the I.T. sector providing high standards of professionalism in every project he carries out. Possessing developed skills that have been gained through establishing and developing full IT projects, networks and infrastructures from initial conception to completion.
Six years experience covers programming, database management, extensive LAN, WAN, Hardware, Software experience. Working cross-functionally within a customer focused, multi-site environment, maintaining the delivery of IT services and technology projects. Yoel keeps track of all aspects of IT development.
Implementation is the key stage that builds up all the options previously considered. Yoel's maintenance and technical support guarantees that the system is always up to date.
Jenni Sutton - Creative Manager 
After graduating from university with a degree in Drama and Theatre Studies Jenni knew she belonged in a creative environment but instead of perusing the acting dream followed her heart and entered the world of fashion. She then went on to study HND Fashion Design at Walsall Art and Technology College, knowing it was there she had found her passion in life.
Specialising in illustration Jenni went on to being highly commended for numerous design and illustration competitions, including a Marks & Spencer's Per Una Design Competition and a Dylon Dye design and make project.
After graduating from college with a distinction Jenni immediately started work in the dynamic world of fashion where she was lucky enough to start her fashion career at Fashion Enter & Fashion Capital.
Here Jenni has developed a passion and skill for fashion journalism and has reported live from major events such as London Fashion Week and Premier Vision in Paris for both http://www.fashion-enter.com/ and http://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/. She is also the ‘press and PR girl' and enjoys attending many events endeavouring to the spread the word about Fashion Enter and Fashion Capital.
Jenni looks forward to her future with the company ‘Fashion Capital is really growing, its great we can help so many young designers but not only that it is a portal for the whole industry so students, graduates, designers, buyers, manufactures and retailers can all benefit and help each other through us. I am very excited to be involved and can't wait for what the future holds'
Emily Tullett - Admin Assistant 
Emily has been a member of the fabulous Fashion Enter team since October 2006. And what a whirlwind of a ride it has been, her journey began as a sales advisor in the Croydon Branch which has been a constant role throughout the duration of her career to this day. Emily was then given an additional role as Representing Agent last summer to assist our members with finding stockists for their products, Fashion Enter take a 10% commission off any purchases made via the Agency.
Updating and maintaining the Manufacturer's Online Showroom is another area Emily is responsible for - so any manufacturer's or CMT's out there who wish to increase their exposure, you know who to speak to. This initiative has been so successful and Andrew from The Sampling Unit in London has informed us that he receives more enquiries through http://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/ than through the Yellow Pages or Yell.com.
Throughout her education Emily studied Maths and Sciences however working with Fashion Enter has allowed her to unleash her creative side and has started looking at the world in a different perspective. As Emily's role is so varied she has seen many different aspects within the company including writing articles for the Business Section on the Knowledge Bank which has inspired her to further her knowledge in this area and pursue a Business and Management Degree to start later this year.
Tom Lofthouse - Researcher 
Tom is a fresh graduate, with a Mathematics degree from the University of East Anglia.
Just starting his career, he is keen and quick to learn as much as he can of the industry. Not a total stranger to the fashion industry he spent a year in Milan as part of his degree, where some of that Italian style and flair rubbed off on him.
Coming from outside the fashion industry, he is here to give a fresh perspective, a fresh set of eyes, to the company with his natural highly logical approach to every situation. Aiming to ensure the ongoing success of this company.
Regular Contributors:
Becky Lyon - Journalist
Laura Louise Frampton - Journalist
Christa Catharina Muller - Journalist
Petrina De Gouttes - Writer & blogger
Hayleigh, Sarah and Chiaka - Enter Boutique
Samata - Designer & Blogger
Susan Royston - Creative Director & Blogger
Ant Standring - Journalist
Martin Dobson - Trends and Moodboards
Caroline Shaw - Fashion Forecasting
Michael Goodmaker - Designer Help / Business Advice
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