Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Building the Black Economy



    Join our panel of experts to learn how Black entrepreneurs are building empires online by using their influence and creativity.

    You will hear from six inspiring entrepreneurs at various stages in their careers and across a range of industries, as our panel come together to discuss the considerations they took into account when building their businesses and the insights they have learnt along the way.

    Whether you are just thinking about starting a business, a business owner who wants to learn more, or perhaps you wish to establish a stronger network, you’ll leave this event feeling inspired and engaged.

    On the day, you can expect to:

    • Learn how the Black Lives Matter movement prompted the rise in Black enterprises and powered increased support for them
    • Understand the financial reality of starting a business in today’s changing market
    • Explore Black-owned businesses in theatre and the arts and the importance of representation on the stage
    • Recognise the power of the Black pound and how to convert this knowledge into assets for the Black economy
    • Learn about the importance of social media for building Black businesses.

    • Following this will be an engaging and thought-provoking Fireside Chat – a discussion on community building with Black Pound Day founder and So Solid Crew member, Swiss.

      About our panel

      • Rachael Twumasi-Corson, CEO and founder of Afrocenchix Ltd. At 19 Rachael co-founded Afrocenchix, an award-winning ethical start-up that creates safe, effective, vegan certified products for Afro & curly hair.
      • Emmanuel Asuquo, founder of The Eman Effect UK, is a renowned, financial adviser, media personality, wealth building entrepreneur and international speaker.
      • TJ Atkinson is a Property Investor, who specialises in transforming homes into beautiful, creative masterpieces. Alongside growing his portfolio, TJ supports people in his community with getting started in property.
      • Indie Gordon is Head of Program at Foundervine and founder of Halo safety app. She aims to empower today's and tomorrow's companies, ensuring they’re tech-enabled and can weather the storm of any social, economic or environmental change.
      • The panel will be moderated by Khai Shaw, co-founder of the theatre company Nuu Theatre. Khai has collaborated with the English Touring Theatre Company and the Bush Theatre.


      Fireside Chat

      • Swiss is the founder of Black Pound Day, the UK's biggest economic movement that supports Black-owned businesses. He is a cultural influencer, business leader, author, and highly acclaimed musician and member of So Solid Crew. Alongside his passion for music, Swiss founded the Black Pound Day movement to support awareness and growth of the Black businesses and economy in the UK and global diasporic communities. Recently, Swiss opened the first permanent retail store at Westfield London, Europe's biggest shopping centre, and continues to actively support hundreds of businesses across the country.
      • The chat will be moderated by Jacqueline Brown, BIPC Business Support Programming Manager, serial entrepreneur and founder of businesses Africa Fashion Guide, Wax and Wraps and M.O.R.Empire. Since 2011, Jacqueline has helped start-ups to build and launch sustainable fashion businesses from scratch with coaching, digital tools, community and connections.

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Inspiring Entrepreneurs: The Changing Face of Fashion


The fashion industry has always been subject to rapid change and fast-evolving trends and the last few years have been no exception.

Faced with major disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, fashion offers many examples of innovation and exciting change in the face of difficult circumstances. Some of these changes stand to have a huge impact on the way we live our lives.

The current cost-of-living crisis is poised to shift attitudes once again, as some 48% of consumers say that rising prices are making them more aware of the importance of sustainable fashion and re-wearing their items.*

This year, the UK is set to become the first European nation where most clothing is bought online.** From this steep rise in online shopping to fashion shows powered by AI to a shift in attitudes to fast fashion, this is an exciting market to be a part of when you know its next direction.

This event will help you understand emergent trends in fashion and how to make them work for your business. At this event, you will:

Understand the reality of starting a fashion brand as an SME in today’s changing market and how the cost of living crisis is impacting brands’ supply chain, sales and growth
Learn how sustainability in the fashion industry has grown, changed and even evolved since 2020. What can we learn from manufacturers changing ways of working and sourcing in exchange for orders?
Understand why there is a greater need for transparency since the pandemic
Learn about new trends in fashion and how forecasting within the industry has been affected
Explore often unrecognised parts of the industry such as the rise of craft and how home-sewing has grown since the 2020 lockdown. Learn how to leverage the power of crafts to develop an online presence
Learn about the growth in interest in new fashion regions, such as the rise of African designers
Understand how the future of fashion with the rise of digital fashion or AI, VR and 3D printing.

About our panel:

You will hear from a panel of industry experts who will talk about their personal experiences and share their wealth of knowledge on the fashion industry and its future.

Orsola de Castro is an internationally recognised opinion leader in sustainable fashion, a mentor, curator and author. Her multi award-winning brand From Somewhere (1997 – 2014) was a pioneer in the field of upcycling and sold in some of the world’s best boutiques; her collaborations include collections for Tesco Clothing, Robe Di Kappa, Topshop and Speedo.

Priscillia Okpan is a Nigerian fashion designer and digital content creator based in London. After interning with established fashion brands to gather industry experience, she started her fashion YouTube channel, Kim Dave. She has amassed over 420k subscribers and 22 million views. She launched a ready-to-wear womenswear label in 2019 which celebrates her Nigerian roots.

Lora Nikolaeva (aka GENE) is the CEO and founder of Lora Gene, an accomplished fashion entrepreneur with international experience. Bulgarian born and raised, now based in London, she entered the fashion world to support her studies working as a model.

After several years on the road and across continents, she started a successful career as a make-up artist, founding the first make-up and hair agency in Eastern Europe. As the business grew it transformed into a clothing brand, which opened its first retail store in central Sofia in 2010. Lora Gene is recognised as one of the best sustainable and ethical fashion brands in the UK, with publications in Vogue, InStyle, The Stylist, the Independent, Guardian and many more.

Patrick McDowell is an independent, sustainable luxury brand founded in 2018 by designer Patrick McDowell. After graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins, McDowell has strived to reinvent the role of a fashion designer, as we know it today. Showcasing his debut collection at London Fashion Week in 2018, the designer has since captivated the industry whilst gaining the recognition of titans who share Patrick’s vision for redesigning and creating an accessible circular solution and system that creativity can flourish in.

Justin Duffy has worked in product design for 10+ years across highstreet (Next, River), sport (Puma), streetwear (Money Clothing) and outdoor categories (Rohan). Now working on the mindset team at WGSN – a trend forecasting company – Justin uses his understanding of the design process and a love for cutting edge creativity to explore new growth opportunities across fashion and lifestyle categories.


Fireside chat:

Patrick Grant has had a career in fashion spanning over a decade. In 2005, after leaving a career in Engineering, he took over as Director at Savile Row tailor Norton & Sons. In December 2010 he won the Menswear Designer of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards and in May 2015 he was awarded the BFC/ GQ Designer Menswear Fund for his work on menswear brand E. Tautz which he re-launched in 2009.

Frequently appearing in best dressed lists in the UK, he has been a regular fixture in GQ’s 50 Best Dressed Men and was also named in Esquire Magazine’s Most Stylish Men in the World. In 2016 he made the Business of Fashion 500 index of the most influential people in global fashion. Patrick is a regular on television and radio as a commentator on the British fashion, clothing and textile industries.

He has been a contributor to several major television documentaries including Savile Row, Harris Tweed, and The Perfect Suit, but is best known for his role in the popular BBC Series The Great British Sewing Bee, for which he was nominated for the 2017 National Television Awards.

He has written on diverse subjects for many titles including GQ, The Financial Times and The Times. His book ‘Original Man’ was published by Gestalten in 2014. He is a regular lecturer at schools and colleges across the UK.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Fashion Retail Reimagined


Online retail sales for textiles, clothing and footwear reached an unprecedented peak of 31% in 2020, as reported by UKFT, and in the UK alone the fashion and textile sector boasts a staggering 34,045 businesses. Now in 2023, the industry of fashion retail is witnessing the emergence of several exciting trends that are revolutionizing the shopping experience.

TikTok's live shopping experience, the growth of omni-channel retail, the increasing importance of second-hand fashion, supply chain innovations, and the rise of diversity and inclusivity are reshaping the fashion retail landscape. With these emerging trends, traditional brick-and-mortar shops have been reimagined, giving way to a new era of shopping experiences that seamlessly blend the physical and digital realms.

Our panel of five inspiring fashion experts and entrepreneurs will explore how these changes are influencing the industry and share valuable insights on leveraging these shifts to your advantage – leaving you inspired, informed, and ready to conquer the future of fashion retail.

Quotes: https://www.ukft.org/business-advice/industry-reports-and-stats. and Top Fashion Retail Trends of 2023: Innovations Shaping the Industry — Femestella.

On the day, expect to:

Discover the intersection of high-end fashion and sustainability that is reshaping the market through consumer-to-consumer shared economy modelsExplore the latest business models in fashion retail, from traditional high street to cutting-edge online platformsLearn about the world of pop-up shops, offering not only unique shopping experiences but also sales opportunities for start-upsDive into the thriving market of live shopping, from social media live videos to online shop ecommerce platformsUnderstand how small businesses are establishing successful retail and ecommerce identities to grow their brandLearn how the power of innovative concepts, combined with community support, can revolutionise shopping in key locations.

For those joining us in person, the event will be followed by a networking reception with drinks, canapés, meeting with other attendees, as well as the speakers. For those joining us online, the panel and talk will run from 18.30 – 20.30

This event is tailored to those who are just thinking about starting a business, are already a business owner who wants to learn more, or perhaps simply wish to establish a stronger network. Attendees will leave this event feeling inspired and engaged.

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