Smiley Original Launches the First Biannual Future Creators Fund
LONDON — Smiley Original, the original collaborator brand, has revealed the launch of the Smiley Future Creators Fund, following its 50th anniversary last year.
The biannual fund is inspired by the Smiley Originals Future Positive sustainability initiative and its partnership with the United Nations, which is aimed at delivering UN-SDG Goal 12 responsible production and consumption.
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The fund’s scope is to provide support to future creators and help them obtain an ideology that prioritizes circularity and responsibility across all areas of design, sourcing and manufacturing.
The Smiley Future Creators Fund will distribute 500,000 pounds among the designers. This sum can then be used by the brands to improve their overall business operations, materials, production and marketing methods to reflect a more sustainable approach.
Notable brands included in the fund are the likes of Ahluwalia, Chet-Lo, AGR, Kevin Germanier and Rich Mnisi.
Nicolas Loufrani, Smiley Originals chief executive officer and founder, said this is “an opportunity for us to showcase sustainability through a new lens with directional garment design at the center, developing best practices that our global manufacturing partners will hopefully follow. If we all play our part, we can make the future positive.”
Smiley Originals will collaborate with each designer taking part in the fund to create a capsule collection made to be 100 percent sustainable.
Smiley further revealed a partnership with Labelhood, a platform under Shanghai Fashion Week that seeks to showcase the talent of young Chinese designers.
Submissions for the September 2023 fund are set to open from April.
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