Bubbles

Inspiring the Next Generation of Fashion Leaders to be Data Driven

Posted on:

June 11th, 2020

Posted in:

Insights & Thought Leadership

The London College of Fashion have been nurturing creative talent for over a century, giving enterprising, gifted students the opportunity to launch their careers and reinvent the fashion industry from within. A total fashion ecology, they strive to get ahead of challenges and evoke the value from every situation. To do this, they need to be able to examine the past, learn from it and build a sustainable future that transforms the way people live for the better. 

To truly reinvent the fashion industry, the college needs to understand data and inspire confidence in its graduates to work with it. This requires valuing the critical importance of business analytics, data science and artificial intelligence and unlocking the full potential of data in a way that can be used to drive fashion businesses forward. Clekt, a data company providing innovative data management solutions, was chosen to work with the London College of Fashion to provide data science expertise. Within Clekt’s diverse portfolio and experienced data scientists, a high proportion of the team have a background in fashion and retail, making them a natural choice to assist students to take advantage of the opportunities to be discovered in data. 

Andy Tudor, CEO at Clekt said, “Clekt is partnering with the London College of Fashion in order to support the next generation of retail leaders to appreciate the importance of data as an asset to retail organisations. To date, this has taken the form of delivering thought leadership / industry expert webinars on the topics of Retail Analytics and Supply Chain Optimisation. In due course, Clekt will be contributing to an overhaul of certain areas of the adopted syllabus across the London College of Fashion to incorporate key aspects of how fashion retail businesses can become truly data driven.”

Clekt is working with the college to develop a course that combines data analytics with fashion and business management expertise so they can use their management skills and fashion talent to become successful leaders in the industry. 

Hannah Middleton, Knowledge Exchange Leader in the Fashion Business School said, “Managers need to understand, analyse and interpret data to support decision-making in their businesses but often they lack skills and confidence to get the most out of data. There is a danger that without being able to mine or understand the valuable information hidden in Big Data, retail businesses will miss out on opportunities to make profitable and sustainable business decisions. Increasingly the survival of retail businesses relies greatly on the management of Big Data in order to minimise risks and exploit opportunities.”

With the support of Clekt, the alumni of the London College of Fashion, who will go on to become the next generation of fashion managers, will understand the significance of putting data at the centre of their decisions to get ahead in the industry.

Hannah added, “Peter Drucker’s famous quote, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” has become something of a mantra in all industries, large and small, and data is integral to managing the fashion sector. That’s why we are working with key businesses in the wider fashion industry, like Clekt.”

The Clekt Innovation Hub is bringing together a community of organisations across industry and academia to share insight on how data can and should be used to deliver value into retail businesses. The job market Clekt is helping to build means data-centric fashion graduates will not only understand how to get insight from data, they will be at the centre of the industry, simultaneously providing value to the college and the future of fashion.

Andy added, “Clekt and the London College of Fashion are collaborating to inspire the future generation of retailers who are digital natives and already understand the importance of data. Our combined industry and academic experience can equip them to leverage data to best effect when they enter the working world.”

Clekt can be applied to any industry and the team is equipped to help companies optimise their value potential using data. To find out more about Clekt, email Alan Morris at alan.morris@clekt.co.uk