Lulu Kennedy, the 'Fairy Godmother' of British Fashion

On Thursday, Fashion East founder Lulu Kennedy came to the Condé Nast College to reflect on her extraordinary career and share her wisdom with the rapt audience. “With fashion, you don’t stop thinking about it or leave it at the door like you with a nine-to-five job,” she mused. “It’s always with you, especially if you work in the creative side of the industry.” Kennedy, who is often described at the Fairy Godmother of British fashion thanks to a lengthy list that she and the Fashion East “panel of angels” have helped, recalled fondly the first time that she met the now star designer Jonathan Saunders. “He rang my bell totally unannounced one day. There were no garment bags, no hangers – he just started pulling these amazing clothes out of some old bag and I knew from that moment that he was going to be chosen to show at Fashion East.” That experience played neatly into her own advice to the students about how they might best get ahead in the industry. “Do everything you can to intern or work for the people that you most admire and, clichéd though it may sound, make sure you always go the extra mile.” And her own future plans? “More of the same but better!”