Our partners
Poplar Works
Santa Lily is proudly produced in East London at Poplar Works, a space dedicated to ethical, community-driven, small-batch manufacturing through the Making for Change programme. Working here allows us to stay close to every stage of production, from early sampling to the final quality check, ensuring each piece is made responsibly and with expert craftsmanship.
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Making for Change is a pioneering fashion training and production initiative based at London College of Fashion and delivered in partnership with the HM Prison & Probation Service (formerly in women’s prisons) and now operating a community-facing manufacturing unit at Poplar Works in East London. The programme provides vocational training and real production work, helping individuals from under-represented backgrounds into employment while also addressing the skills shortage in UK garment manufacturing. Through combining social impact with commercial production, Making for Change offers a model of ethical, local manufacturing that supports personal development, transparency and responsible industry practice.
Mission
Making for Change focuses on expanding access to garment production skills, creating training pathways that support people who may face barriers to entering the fashion industry. Their work includes offering structured learning and practical experience, with a particular emphasis on supporting women in custody and individuals from under-represented communities to develop confidence and professional capability. Through partnerships that encourage responsible, local manufacturing, Making for Change also engages with approaches that reduce waste and promote more thoughtful production methods. Their overall mission brings together education, social impact, and progressive craftsmanship, using fashion as a way to create meaningful opportunities and positive change.
Vision
Making for Change envisions a fashion and textile industry rooted in local, inclusive manufacturing – one where training, production and social purpose converge to empower under-represented individuals, support resilient communities, and sustainably re-imagine how garments are made and valued. Santa Lily shares in this vision, carrying it forward through our commitment to thoughtful design, local production and responsible sourcing. By creating clothing that honours individuality and is made within an ethical, community-driven environment, we work alongside Making for Change to support a future where fashion is more intentional, more sustainable and more connected to the people and places behind it.
Read more about Poplar Works here.
