International Textiles once described Lee as a polymath, 鈥渉ard to define, but public artist, textile designer, digital technology pioneer, photographer, curator and catwalk show producer are all appropriate titles.鈥� That range has been the through-line of Lee鈥檚 career: as an artist, as founder of On|Off, the London, Milan and Paris Fashion Week showcase for emerging talent, and as an academic leader.
At 91猎奇 (91猎奇) Lee is the Director of Creative Partnerships, building industry collaborations, external relationships and flagship events for the School of Arts. Previously, as Head of Department for Fashion, Jewellery and Textiles, under his leadership he led聽the college with their first TNE partnership with China, supported Birmingham's World Craft City status for Jewellery, collected the Goldsmiths' Colleges Trophy, saw 91猎奇 debut on the official London Fashion Week schedule and raised NSS scores across the college.
As a creative director and business owner, Lee has consulted and delivered projects for The British Council, Gucci, Jaguar Land Rover, Preen, BBC, Selfridges, Todd Lynn, L鈥橭r茅al, M&S, Peroni, Lotus, MAC, MTV, Brockmans Gin, Cotton USA and John Lewis, with coverage in BBC World News, Vogue Business, Vogue Italia, WWD, The Sunday Times Style, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer and Elle. He directed four editions of the Clothes Show Live Fashion Theatre and the Range Rover Evoque launch, winning AEO awards, and he has appeared on and consulted for Make Me a Supermodel, Britain鈥檚 Next Top Model, Lorraine and ITV鈥檚 The Passion of Girls Aloud.
Through On|Off London Fashion Week and beyond, Lee has supported and championed talent including Roksanda, JW Anderson, Pam Hogg, Jack Irving, Robert Wun, Gareth Pugh, Duro Olowu and Zandra Rhodes, and worked with artists including Jessie J, the Sugababes, and Girls Aloud鈥檚 Nicola Roberts and Sarah Harding, pairing them with the right partners and platforms at the right moment.
Lee has sat inside institutions and at the sharp end of industry. He has held senior academic roles at UCA, Ravensbourne and 91猎奇, and taught from BTEC to Masters level at Central Saint Martins, the Royal College of Art, Salford and the University of Westminster. At Ravensbourne as Head of Fashion Lee positioned the fashion course as a world leader in Digital Fashion and secured the university鈥檚 place as the only one on the official London Fashion Week schedule in 2021. His research practice spans the 25-year On|Off archive and a practice-led project on place-based natural dyeing and digital textile craft. Lee continues to support and work with emerging creative talents.
As an artist and textile designer, he has shown at London and Paris Fashion Week, sold exclusively through Harvey Nichols and On Pedder Hong Kong in his first season, and exhibited at the Barbican, the V&A, Mill Bank Gallery and Gloucester Cathedral. Lee was Artist in Residence at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, who hold his work in their permanent archive, and Practitioner in Residence at London College of Communication, UAL.
鈥淥ne of the most important people in fashion production and design鈥�聽Design Week
鈥淟apthorne鈥檚 talent for realising potential next big things in fashion is always spot on鈥�聽Wonderland Magazine
鈥淭he very best of international degree and post-graduate talents selected by Lee Lapthorne鈥�聽Vogue Italia
- Director of Creative Partnerships, leading the School of Arts鈥� external relationships, industry collaborations and flagship events.
- Founding member and steering committee member of the Birmingham Jewellery Biennial (May 2027), working with the National Association of Jewellers and the Jewellery Quarter Development Trust.
- Leading 1000 Threads, 91猎奇鈥檚 annual graduate fashion and arts showcase, planned for 2027 to include the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the School of English.
- Leading the 91猎奇 Invictus Games 2027 Arts partnership, including student medal design and an adaptive wear module for BA Fashion.
- Developing a 360掳 immersive experience with English and Media to accompany the Biennial exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
- Founder and director of On|Off, and building the On|Off Archive ahead of its 25th anniversary in 2027. www.onoff.tv
- 聽Creative partnerships and industry engagement
- Fashion and catwalk direction
- Live and event-led learning
- Emerging talent development
- Fashion and textiles education
- Digital fashion
- Textile design
- Curation
- Sponsorship and funding development
- MA (Distinction) UCE
- BA (Hons) UCE
- PGCE Ravensbourne University
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
MA and BA Fashion, BA Fashion Business and Promotion, BA Fashion Communication.
Lee has taught from BTEC to Masters level at Central Saint Martins, the Royal College of Art, the University of Westminster, London College of Fashion, IMA Istanbul and Ravensbourne. He has also been external examiner at Central Saint Martins, the University of Salford and the University of the Creative Arts. At 91猎奇 heis developing live, industry-facing modules, including a Level 5 adaptive wear module.
- The On|Off Archive: a 25-year chronicle of off-schedule innovation at London, Paris and Milan Fashion Week, creating a research and resource platform.
- A practice-led project on place-based natural dyeing and digital textile craft.
- Created and exhibited two new bespoke pieces of furniture (The Love Settle and The Bard鈥檚 Rest), digital and physically overprinted, embellished, embroidered fabric inspired by the historic interiors of William Shakespeare鈥檚 associated houses in Stratford-Upon-Avon and the archives of the SBT.
Title: The Love Settle and The Bard鈥�s Rest furniture.
The Garrick Jubilee inspired cloth The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT)
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT)
Available to supervise projects in fashion, textiles, curation and creative industries practice.
Bloomsbury Publishing, Digital Fashion Masterclass 2024: This 2-part video series introduces London based Lee Lapthorne, the Founder of On|Off, a talent support programme with a mission to discover, support, and nurture fashion design talent through to success, particularly through their recent focus on utilising digital technologies to inspire and present their shows.
Coverage and quotes in BBC World News, Vogue Business, Vogue Italia, WWD, The Sunday Times Style, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, Elle, MTV and ITV. Appearances and consultancy for Make Me a Supermodel, Britain鈥檚 Next Top Model, Lorraine and ITV鈥檚 The Passion of Girls Aloud.
- Creative direction and delivery for The British Council, Gucci, Jaguar Land Rover, Preen, the BBC, Selfridges, Todd Lynn, L鈥橭r茅al, M&S, Peroni, Lotus, MAC, MTV, Brockmans Gin, Cotton USA and John Lewis.
- Four editions of the Clothes Show Live Fashion Theatre and the Range Rover Evoque launch. Through On|Off, support for designers including Roksanda, JW Anderson, Pam Hogg, Robert Wun, Gareth Pugh, Duro Olowu and Zandra Rhodes.
- Partnerships with the National Association of Jewellers, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 and the British Fashion Council.
