THE NEXT THREAD: WHO OWNS THE FUTURE OF FASHION?

Thursday, 15 October, 2026

Sandbox, Shoreditch, London 

Sandbox is a new collaborative hub where artists, makers, entrepreneurs and innovators connect to transform ideas into impactful projects. By combining space, skills and community, they help creativity grow into real opportunities.

First Threads is Shoreditch Sandbox's inaugural season, celebrating creativity through textiles, repair, reuse and contemporary craft. Explore materials, experiment with ideas, meet inspiring makers and learn practical skills through a programme of hands-on workshops, talks and events.

 Overview

Can new technology help independent fashion businesses thrive - or will it simply give the biggest players more power?

East London has a long history of putting fashion, design and innovation together. Today, it sits alongside one of the UK’s most important technology clusters. What happens when those two worlds come together?

Could technology genuinely change the balance of power in fashion? And could east London be one of the places where that change happens?

As part of First Threads, Shoreditch Sandbox’s opening season exploring the area’s connections to fashion, textiles and creativity, this Exchange brings that question into the room.

Hosted by David Leigh, whose work explores the relationship between fashion, technology and independent business, the conversation brings together voices from across fashion, technology, circularity, policy and intellectual property.

- Panelists

Jaffa Saba - multidisciplinary artist, independent designer and upcycler, whose practice centres around reconstruction and giving new value to existing garments and materials. He brings both a hands-on circular-fashion perspective and the independent creator’s experience of ownership, collaboration and working with larger fashion businesses.

Dr Lida Hujić - author, researcher and innovation strategist specialising in how idiosyncratic ideas diffuse into the mainstream and reshape culture and consumer behaviour. Creator of the the-first-to-know innovation diffusion model and author of The First to Know and The 2.5%: Small Group – Big Influence, her work spans fashion, emerging culture, market disruption and sustainable business.

Jenny Haigh - Head of Policy, Fashion & Textiles and Creative Economy at UAL, bringing the policy, institutional and creative-economy perspective.

Shana Chu - The Material Office - garment technology and production expert with over 15 years’ experience in fashion manufacturing. Former founder of fashion-tech platform Tailr, she now runs The Material Office, working with start-up and growth-stage brands across technical design, tech packs, sourcing, fit and production. She brings a practical perspective on how technology and more flexible production models can change the possibilities for independent fashion businesses.

Ruby Hotston - Stobbs - IP paralegal with a particular interest in how technology is changing fashion consumption, especially around rental and circular-fashion models.

Cait Ryan - Stobbs -qualified lawyer working in fashion/IP who previously worked in-house at Condé Nast and New Look, bringing first-hand insight from larger fashion, media and high-street businesses alongside experience in technology, data and AI policy.

What to expect

• A lively panel discussion led by David Leigh, bringing together different perspectives from fashion, technology and the wider creative economy.

• Real examples of new approaches to production, ownership and circular business

• Drinks and conversation afterwards with designers, creative founders and others from east London’s creative community

Who’s it for?

Designers, fashion students, creative founders, technologists, researchers, policy-makers and anyone interested in where fashion goes next.