Our Experience

Bringing A Difference To Creative Education

CARAMEL ROCK is a dynamic youth-focused charity supporting fashion and creative community in Newham that uses the engaging mediums of fashion and creative arts to improve education, employment and social inclusion opportunities for disadvantaged young people living within the London Borough of Newham and neighbouring areas. Formed as a Charity (registration number 1137133) our creative projects look to provide pathways back into education, employment or training for NEET (not in employment, education or training) young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who are disengaged from formal learning environments. We work with over 250 young people each year.

here is a massive fashion and creative arts community in east London with diverse needs and aspirations that they seek specifically in Newham. We specifically use fashion as a means to engage because of the interest it holds for so many young people, as well as the significant and relevant opportunities it holds for empowerment, employment in the London retail sector. Our aim is to disrupt sustainable training and work opportunities within such a creative and vibrant sector such as fashion. Below are a few examples but our work goes far beyond with an extensive track record.

Fiverr X Caramel Rock

Caramel Rock has joined forces with Fiverr, one of the world’s leading online marketplaces for freelancers, and the renowned Bukayo Saka to create an empowering partnership. Our founder, Faith Johnson, is at the forefront of this collaboration, dedicated to opening doors for young and aspiring talents within our community.

Act-1 x Caramel Rock

Caramel Rock has joined the Act-1 Programme to deliver after school workshops to young people in the Newham, Canning Town, and Plaistow areas. At this workshop, young people will get a chance to take part, and learn the crucial process from having an idea to creating a final garment. They will have the opportunity to learn design development, how to make a t-shirt, pattern cutting, upcycling, and sewing with the goal of making a final garment.

Hackney Learning Trust

We ran a 8 week sewing project for 3 years for those aged 18+ in order to develop their skills around sewing in order to develop life skills in creating pillowcases and curtains as well as learning how to alter and take in their own clothing.

V&A Museum

We ran a five-day project at the V&A for the Create Futures Courses. Textiles and fashion are a major part of the V&A´s collections, we use their displays as inspiration for our course while visiting the space.

Westfield x Caramel Rock

We were invited to participate together with other local businesses at the event ” Future You”. Westfield teamed up with local communities and talent to host a series of amazing careers events, creative arts workshops, and wellbeing activities. We delivered two workshops. One run by Chantelle Johns and one by Oana Balan. The first one, consisted in getting familiar with the concepts like: dart, grain, pattern, hipline, waistline. The participants were introduced to the task and familiarized themselves with the patterns, which they consequently traced and cut out. The second workshop showed them how to thread a sewing machine, and practice their first stitches. In the second part of the task they produced weaving samples by sewing horizontal and vertical straps onto a patch of fabric.

National Lottery - Sustainability Project

Caramel Rock has been founded by the national lottery to run a three years project running from September 2019 to August 2022. This project has provided creative support for young people and families using the framework of sustainable fashion through two main approaches. Creative learning and Family & Relationship between sustainable fashion employers and young people. We have kickstarted a strong movement of sustainable fashion through the next generation of young people who will go onto be engaged with the industry. Through this project, we have challenged the current supply and demand cycles to point young people towards manufacturers and retailers who put sustainability at the heart of their products, as well as providing cutting-edge sustainability training skills for the next generation.

Ian Mikardo School

We have run classes for students from Ian Mikardo High School which is a specialist academy pioneering the way in which our society approaches the education of our most vulnerable young people. Engaging younger students and allowing them to develop a new skill set.

Dove x Caramel Rock

Young people are some of the world’s best advocates, creators, and thinkers. Yet, feelings of disempowerment, low self-esteem, and a lack of confidence too often prevent them from speaking out, standing up for what they believe in, and reaching their full potential. Attending to this difficult situation, Caramel Rock and Dove are partnering to build self-esteem and body confidence through the incorporation of young people into the fashion industry in the UK and around the world. Watch this video and learn more about this strategic alliance!

Ilford Spark Lab

The SPARK Ilford aims to create and establish an economically vibrant Cultural Quarter, where business and creative enterprise can thrive alongside a diverse cultural and leisure experience. Kick-started through the introduction of Mercato Metropolitano and SPACE Studios, Ilford has already seen the transformation of the Redbridge Town Hall into an exciting hub of arts, opening 35 studios for artists, makers, and creative businesses alongside a public gallery.