/ALIGN

/ALIGN has been founded by Katarina Rimarcikova and Amanda Johnston

Katarina and Amanda have met at London College of Fashion where they frequently lecture. After many conversations and passionate presentations, they created and started to work on special  new initiatives between higher education and industry contacts to accommodate the need and demand from fashion industry and young creatives. They understand how to bridge and set up innovative and forward thinking scenarios and initiatives  to collaborate and co-create in order to find creative and positive solutions for future fashion industry.

Katarina Rimarcikova has a background in Luxury Womenswear design and fashion brand /concepts developments. She has worked with some of the world's most luxury fashion houses before setting up her eponymous label from Paris in 2006. Katarina is currently working on  cross-disciplinary projects between fashion, science and technology. She is  also  Subject Leader Fashion Arts, while recently created and lead the first and unique MA Collaborative unit - platform bridging industry and higher fashion education at London College of Fashion. Katarina has extensive knowledge in fashion design and fabrics, development of fashion lines and brands. Creative direction for events, fashion shows and store concepts. Sourcing, buying, curation and retail concepts. In 2012, she has become the Creative Director and CEO of the CarteBlanche atelier d'art & design, the first unique gallery /concept store in Central Europe to introduce and combine beautiful and timeless design with integrity, produced with the best quality materials and high end production working with small ateliers, artisans and manufactures with heritage, experience and Haute Couture techniques.Katarina is connecting links and dots in fashion industry, always looking ahead, seeing potentials and setting up ambitious and challenging, exciting initiatives between fashion design, education and enterprise.

Originally form Slovakia she has lived between London and Paris last 18 years, working across Europe and travelling the world for research, passion a curiosity.

Amanda Johnston has a background in contemporary womenswear design and development internationally.Currently involved in teaching research and design on undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and enhancing enterprise and employability via work on the UAL Creative Attributes Framework. Research interests are sustainability in the fashion industry, with a specific focus on materials. She provides academic mentoring for KERING Award students, part of Kering's commitment to embed sustainability in the curriculum at LCF. She has worked with MA Fashion Futures students as acting Co-course Leader and international recruitment. Amanda also acts as consultant and curator of The Sustainable Angle, a not for profit Sustainable materials organisation, and have presented our work in educational and industry forums internationally.

English bread and educated with global perspective on fashion education, she likes to connect locally and internationally and in immersive knowledge exchange.