What We Do
We founded Flourish in Diversity to help school leavers from minority ethnic and low socioeconomic backgrounds break into the fashion industry. Despite progress, diversity in fashion—especially in decision-making roles—remains limited, preventing many talented young people from accessing the training, connections, and insights needed to succeed.
Our immersive training programme, led by industry experts, gives participants hands-on experience, transforming passion into creative confidence. Since breaking into fashion often requires experience that can only be gained through opportunity, we bridge that gap in a supportive environment.
Beyond training, we provide ongoing mentorship, internship placements with brand partners, and networking opportunities to help trainees build career capital and secure their first roles in the industry.
Meet the Team
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Amelia Akanni
Co-Founder & Director
Specialising in Production & Marketing. Amelia graduated from RMIT Melbourne, with her final collection praised for celebrating her West African heritage. Having worked at Australian brands From Britten & Linda Britten, Amelia aspired for experience overseas and moved to London in 2018 to work for Alex Mullins. Starting her career in pattern cutting and garment construction, she swiftly moved to design development and production, a position she later held at Margaret Howell.
After her time at Margaret Howell, Amelia moved to Paris, where she worked for Paula Canovas del Vas, before returning to Melbourne for a period. She is now back in London, working in Product Development for Martine Rose.
Since joining our team, Amelia has been committed to creating space for underrepresented young people in the fashion sector, knowing first-hand the challenges the industry presents.
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Giulia Bottari
Co-Founder & MD
Giulia began her career in 2005, working in sales both on the shop floor and for a fabric agent before transitioning into Fabric Buying and Production in-house for brands such as Hobbs London, Mulberry England, Pringle, Mira Mikati and Margaret Howell.
In 2015, Giulia took a temporary step back from in-house roles to freelance, allowing her to slow down, reconnect with her passions, and explore creative ideas centered on social and environmental justice. This period of reflection and renewed purpose eventually led to the founding of Flourish in Diversity in 2020—a mission-driven initiative dedicated to diversifying the fashion industry and fostering a fairer, more sustainable global supply chain.
In 2022, Giulia transitioned from the fashion industry to focus on more people-centred work, complementing her efforts with Flourish In Diversity. She now works at a People & Culture agency specialising in supporting the TV, film, theatre, and broader creative industries.
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Nishy Lall
Co-Founder & Non-Executive Director
Nishy advises our team on strategy, offering wide ranging support drawing from over 25 years’ experience working with young people.
As a London College of Fashion alumni, Nishy had intended to embark on a career within the fashion industry. However, not seeing herself represented within the sector as a British Asian meant she did not find the support needed to pursue that career path. Instead, Nishy joined Sky in 1998 and has worked in Finance and Broadcasting ever since.
Today, Nishy is Group Head of Youth & Social Impact at Sky, helping hundreds of underrepresented youth find fulfilling work in the media industry. Her work has already impacted over 160,000 young people across media, tech and sport and has led to her being awarded the Social and Humanitarian Asian Women of Achievement Award for 2020.