Stylish and practical
The John Banks dinner is an annual fixture in the Company’s calendar. Held each October, it commemorates the life of John Banks who was Master Haberdasher in 1717. His bequest was administered by the Master, Wardens and Assistants for around 260 years.
The dinner is for the Court of Assistants and their spouses, with a tradition of handing out a gift to each female guest.
But in 2024 the Company set itself a challenge: could the gift be something that created some kind of impact for a Haberdasher charity partner, and represent a meaningful exchange for some of the young people they work with?
And so it was that the immediate past Consort Haberdasher, Catherine Elliott, went to visit the work of the Inside Out Project, an organisation that works with young people as they leave the custody system. Inside Out Project is one of the Company’s 2024 Small Grant holders.
The charity supports the rehabilitation of young ex-offenders, through providing fixed term employment contracts in the fashion and retail industry. Alongside mentoring and mental health support, they help develop life skills and technical skills.
Specifically, the young people create designs for t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags. They are then trained to manage a pop-up store to sell these items in Westfield shopping centre, Stratford, east London.
It was this partnership that offered an opportunity for the Company to source John Banks gifts with added value.
Catherine chose a design, created by one of the Inside Out participants, Martel. The design, plus the Haberdasher crest, were printed onto the tote bag by the participants in good time for the dinner. The 2nd Chance design sums up what the programme means for the participants.
CHARITY PARTNERS
Catherine continued: “I felt that ‘2nd Chance’ perfectly summarises how ‘Inside Out’ helps members of the group take steps to make different choices.
I wanted the gift to be both practical as well as stylish and I am pleased to say that the bags look fabulous.”
If you would like the chance to own one of the bags yourself, visit the new online shop to make your purchase and support the work of an amazing charity .
And (since I know you’re wondering), the gifts were handed out to each group of guests (couples, families) rather than just the women. All of them agreed that the gift was stylish and useful.
