Fashioning Futures: Leveraging Digital Innovation and Sustainability in Mentorship for Marginalised Entrepreneurs

The fashion industry's rapid evolution through digital transformation and heightened sustainability consciousness demands new strategies for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those from marginalised groups. This paper reevaluates mentoring programmes in the United Kingdom's fashion sector, focusing on their adaptation to digital and sustainable practices to support young entrepreneurs from minority and low-income backgrounds. Employing qualitative methods, including interviews and case studies, we investigate how mentoring intersects with digital technologies to navigate and mitigate traditional industry barriers and power dynamics. Our research, based on sixteen semi-structured interviews with fashion experts in the United Kingdom's South-East and Midland regions, reveals that effective mentorship in the digital age requires overcoming challenges related to network access, mentor-mentee dynamics, and systemic industry biases. These findings underscore the importance of embracing digital technologies and sustainable practices within mentoring to promote inclusivity and long-term success in the fashion industry, aligning with emerging global trends towards ethical and sustainable luxury branding.