Yoox Net-A-Porter and The King’s Foundation launch third edition of ‘The Modern Artisan’

Yoox Net-A-Porter and His Majesty King Charles III’s charitable foundation, The King’s Foundation, have launched the third edition of ‘The Modern Artisan’ training programme to nurture emerging design talent.

As part of this, six graduate trainees will embark on nine months of paid training that will see them "immersed in responsible design and craftsmanship principles".

The artisans’ learning experience will result in the creation of a luxury capsule collection that will retail on Net-A-Porter in the second half of 2024, with 50% of the RRP from products sold donated to The King’s Foundation.

Vikki Kavanagh, Managing Director of Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter, said: "Our partnership with The King’s Foundation is rooted in a shared commitment to equip rising stars in our industry with skills for success, furthering the legacy of mentoring schemes we take pride in running across Yoox Net-A-Porter.

"By supporting today’s emerging designers, we continue to lay foundations for a future where luxury fashion can be synonymous with responsible design. We look forward to seeing the vision of the talented artisans come to life through an exciting capsule collection for our Net-A-Porter customers later this year."

There will initially be three months of design training at Yoox Net-A-Porter’s London office, where the artisans will work alongside its in-house private label teams, learning how to leverage data insights to design the collection with the Net-A-Porter customer in mind.

Then a six-month placement follows at Dumfries House, The King’s Foundation’s headquarters in Ayrshire, Scotland, to manufacture the collection while learning specialist craftsmanship skills. Throughout the programme, the artisans will be taught how to minimise impact and promote longevity, with access to over 40 brand partners and industry experts.

Applications for the third cohort of ‘The Modern Artisan’ saw over 60 graduates apply from more than 30 fashion schools across the UK, with over 30% from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the industry.

The six graduates selected for the third edition are Daisy Gray, Jessica Horton, Flavia-Maria Nistor, Sarah Jane Sleeba, Georgia Wintle and Arielle Uno-Ekwang.

To date, 16 skilled artisans have taken part in over two editions and have gone on to establish their own fashion brands or secure positions at renowned luxury fashion houses, as well as being hired into Yoox Net-A-Porter’s private label teams.