LONDON, 9th February 2023: ASOS, the destination for fashion-loving 20-somethings, today announces a partnership with Caramel Rock, a fashion and creative arts education charity founded in 2010 and based in Newham, London, which provides training and opportunities for vulnerable adults and young people.

Through funding provided by the ASOS Foundation, Caramel Rock is running a 12-month project aimed at empowering a wide range of NEET (not in education, employment, or training) young people and young offenders. This includes those with learning difficulties and disabilities, mental health difficulties, homeless young people, care leavers, teenage parents, lone parents, young carers, and work programme leavers. A total of 60 young people will be recruited onto the programme over a 12 month period, drawn from Newham Raising the Participation Age (RPA) Youth service team*, Newham Young Offending Team, and Newham Intervention and Engagement Team.

Those enrolled on the programme will receive an accredited level 1, 2 or 3 BTEC vocational diploma in fashion and clothing sustainability. They will explore their creativity and uncover tools to help them access future employment in the fashion industry. Participants will think about their origins and about how they can stand out in the industry. They will develop technical skills in creative pattern making and design, working directly with fabric and learning about the role it plays in framing the body.

Faith Johnson, CEO & Founder at Caramel Rock said: “Caramel Rock prides itself in being a grassroots organisation giving quality training and youth support opportunities to some of the most deprived communities in London. Through partnerships with organisations like ASOS and others in our industry network, we are making our provision impactful and inclusive, ensuring we can make a real difference in people’s lives.”

James Miller, Senior Corporate Responsibility Manager at ASOS said: “Our purpose at ASOS is to give young people the confidence to be whoever they want to be, whether that’s our customers or young people in our communities. Through this partnership with Caramel Rock, delivered with the ASOS Foundation, we’re helping young people to reach their potential through fashion and creativity.”

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Notes to Editors

* Newham’s Raising the Participation Age (RPA) Team works with young people in Year 11 that haven't secured any offers of further education. Their goal is to try to help them secure a place somewhere to stay on in education.

About ASOS

ASOS is a destination for fashion-loving 20-somethings around the world, with a purpose to give its customers the confidence to be whoever they want to be. Through its market-leading app and mobile/desktop web experience, available in ten languages and in over 200 markets, ASOS customers can shop a curated edit of nearly 70,000 products, sourced from nearly 900 of the best global and local partner brands and its mix of fashion-led own-brand labels – ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, ASOS 4505, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT. ASOS aims to give all its customers a truly frictionless experience, with an ever-greater number of different payment methods and hundreds of local deliveries and return options, including Next-Day Delivery and Same-Day Delivery, dispatched from state-of-the-art fulfilment centres in the UK, US and Germany.

About the ASOS Foundation

The ASOS Foundation creates opportunities that enable disadvantaged young people to reach their potential. Drawing on ASOS' skills in tech and fashion, it provides the inspiration, education, support, infrastructure and training needed to unlock young people's talent and give them the confidence to be whoever they want to be - helping them progress towards economic independence and shaping a brighter future of which we can all be proud. 

About Caramel Rock

Caramel Rock is an educational charity that provides training and job opportunities. We focus on empowering and supporting young people to access varied training and opportunities. We provide services for people of different academic levels and age groups including young students on the verge of being expelled from school and seeking an intervention with our creative approach.