City Lions help design royal fashion exhibition

Paving the way for the next generation of creatives

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28 young people from Westminster’s City Lions have collaborated with Historic Royal Palaces to help design the Dress Codes exhibition at Kensington Palace - gaining relevant skills and experience for a career in the creative industries.

Dress Codes explores how the dress codes of the royal family and royal court relate to the fashion rules and codes we all follow in our own lives, featuring iconic historical pieces worn by beloved royal figures including a young Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as creative responses by the Young Producers inspired by the items in the exhibition, with a contemporary twist.

Since 2019 the City Lions programme has helped over 5,600 13 to 16-year-olds (from underrepresented backgrounds) through workshops, mentoring, and work experience with creative professionals and organisations – working to break down barriers to the creative industry and provide young people with the experience and skills they need to succeed in their futures. Dress Codes is an example of one of many opportunities that young people can be connected to through the programme.

During the year-long partnership, the City Lions worked alongside Historic Royal Palaces and other industry professionals to bring the exhibition to life – providing young people with the opportunity to learn real skills that will equip them for success within the creative industries in the future.

The young people were given creative freedom and expert coaching to design fashion garments, produce original music compositions, short films, interactive quizzes and more, weaving their perspectives throughout to make fashion history relevant to a modern audience.  

The partnership between City Lions and Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity, has paved the way for a new generation of young creatives to contribute to the cultural and heritage industries, which can be tough to break into.

Helene, a City Lions Young Producer said:

I have been involved in quite a few programmes where young people are supposed to be in control of what’s going on, but this is the first one where I feel truly empowered”

Sneha, a City Lions Young Producer said:

What was great about this programme, was that while we studied the history of fashion and produced our work, not only were we able to retain our culture and identity, we were able to celebrate it in what we produced.”

Caterina Berni, Senior Interpretation Manager at Historic Royal Palaces, said:

It has been a privilege to work with the Young Producers from City Lions and other local youth organisations, who have helped to shape the Dress Codes exhibition during their year-long collaboration with us. The fashion, storytelling and musical creative responses they have designed offer a fresh perspective on the historic collection, helping to demonstrate its relevance to audiences today.

Cabinet member for Culture, Cllr Ryan Jude said:

It’s inspiring to see young people take the lead alongside industry experts to produce something that is historically iconic but still relevant to modern audiences.

“This collaboration offers a way to break down barriers to employment in the creative industries - unlocking these doors is what the City Lions is all about.

“By partnering with leading cultural organisations like Historic Royal Palaces, we’re creating new opportunities for young people to bring their perspectives, develop their talents and boost their employment prospects.”

The exhibition will be open until November 2025. Tickets: Adult £24.70 / Concession £20 / Child £12.40 / Free for HRP members. £1 tickets are available for those in receipt of certain means-tested financial benefits. Head to the website.