We are delighted to share that Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust was the chosen charity for the 2021 Drapers Awards that took place on the 18th of November. The award ceremony was hosted by Drapers, a trade publication dedicated to the fashion retail industry. With the help of our amazing volunteers, the event raised £2,627 for our charity on the night.

We caught up with one of our volunteers, Lucy Thompson (pictured below, second from right), who is a 21-year-old London-based luxury client concierge at Cudoni, the UK’s leading VIP luxury resale service. Here’s what Lucy had to say about the event.

How did you come to volunteer for Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust? 

I came across it on social media (how Gen-Z of me!) and when I started looking into it I saw the amazing impact the charity has on people in the industry.

Tell us a bit about the Drapers Awards.

The Drapers Awards were amazing. It was great to see such focus given to the charity and to witness the level of engagement from attendees.

Why was it important to you to volunteer for this event?

Volunteering was important to me as an advocate of making sustainable fashion for the future. I do a lot of work in terms of environmental sustainability, however, making fashion truly sustainable goes beyond this, to also caring about those working in the industry and making sure that their families have what they need so they don’t have to worry.

From my previous role working closely through the fall of Debenhams, I can see how quickly ordinary people’s lives can be flipped upside down, so it is really important for me to help where I can!

What did you enjoy most about it?

Besides the points already mentioned, it was also wonderful to have the opportunity of watching the awards. A personal highlight was to see Nick Beighton, formerly the CEO of ASOS, receive the Special Recognition Award. He’s a personal inspiration of mine. It was lovely to listen to him speak, to hear what motivated him and ASOS to continue making clothes that empower every person to feel great about themselves. It was nice to see how the whole room came together to applaud his successes.

What would you say to someone reading this who is thinking about volunteering for Fashion & Textile Children's Trust?

Stop thinking about and just do it! You have nothing to lose and so much to give.

"We would like to say a huge thank you to Lucy and all the volunteers who helped out at the Drapers Awards. It takes confidence and professionalism to approach guests and represent the charity at such a prestigious event and all the volunteers were superstars in this regard. It was an absolute pleasure to have Lucy on our team for the night and hope we can welcome her again at another event." Anna, CEO of FTCT. 

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