Born in 1969 on a hippy trail between Ibiza and Sicily, the fairy godmother of fashion Lulu Kennedy has been known to find and hone new design talent for many years. Through a non-profit initiative Fashion East, they are dedicated to scout and nurture young designers since 2000, which has resulted in launching many of London’s finest finds of leading fashion names including Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland and J.W. Anderson. Though she disagrees with the aforementioned title, she prefers the term “foster mum” as she “can’t grant them wishes. They make things happen, they’ve got to put the work in”.

Following its success, Lulu also set up MAN; an identical support scheme for menswear designers. And in celebration of Fashion East’s 10th year anniversary, she has also launched her own clothing brand Lulu & Co! Initially made as a capsule collection of archives, Lulu continued to develop the line in-house, collaborating with friends and artists alike in creating pieces internationally carried at stockists like Liberty and Net-a-porter.

Having grown up through Ibiza, Devon, Sicily and working on raves in Naples, she first found herself drawn into fashion after she got a job at a vintage shop in the UK in 1995. Now, she is the Founder and Director of Fashion East & MAN, Lulu & Co clothing line and Editor-at-large of Conde Nast’s biannual Love magazine, consulting from brands on the side! But what is it about this program that provide designers with opportunities they might not have otherwise be equipped with?

“Basically, what we do is select designers we believe in the most and who need some support and then we give them sponsorship, a show, advice and mentoring […] the equivelant would be a music industry showcase.” the woman with a self-proclaimed “big sister complex” tells us. 

As for her style, Lulu isn’t about the office wear, as she has never worked in the corporate world. Aside from a well-cut coat, perhaps her upbringing has formed more of her preferred style as more bohemian and laid-back; something one can frolic in whether it is the countryside or the beach… Inspired by Neneh Cherry in the earlier days, people can see how much it has influenced much of Lulu’s outfits, which can be seen by Lulu’s choice of mini dresses under her bomber jackets, paired with chunky trainers or Timberland boots! An avid collector of boyfriend jeans, slogan T-shirts and baggy jumpers, Lulu is into a lot of bright and colorful garments. Lulu dresses to be comfortable, and to have as much fun as possible in whatever clothes she’s in – rather than dress to impress the guys. Our kind of big sister!