About Us
We Create* is a Social Enterprise that offers young people around the West Midlands the opportunity to gain access to qualifications and commercial experience in fashion design.
The organisation funds it running and development by retailing the designs its participants create.
We Create* services's
- We Create* runs a shop and design studio in Wolverhampton city centre, on Victoria Street, to retail fashion labels designed by local young designers. The shop also retails designs developed by participants on We Create* Fashion Design and its Commercial Development workshops.
We Create* aims to develop a chain of retail units around the West Midlands in locations with high levels of footfall. The shops will be incubation units from where local young designers can develop and retail designs and also run design-based businesses with access to commercial equipment and facilities.
We Create*'s surplus capital from its retail operations is invested in running:
- a free fashion-based Business Help and Support Service for people who want to set-up a fashion label, who are setting up a label, or are already running a label around the West Midlands.
- Fashion Design and its Commercial Development workshops for people who want to learn all the processes involved in the Design, Production, Promotion, and Retail of fashion-based products. No qualifications or experience required.
- projects in partnership with other Social Enterprises, Charities,Community Groups, and organisations connected with helping individuals from disadvantaged and socially excluded backgrounds to offer them the opportunity to gain access to qualifications and commercial experience in Fashion and Design.
Once We Create* has developed its sustainable model and services in Wolverhampton and the West Midlands it will replicate the platform nationally across the United Kingdom and Internationally.
Richard Leighton
We Create* is designed, developed, and run by Award Winning Social Entrepreneur Richard Leighton. Richard is a graduate in Fashion Design Management from the University of Leeds, an MA Fashion student at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (UCE), PG Cert student in Social Enterprise at Coventry University, and a graduate from the School for Social Entrepreneurs - London.
Away from his academic commitments Richard has approached and developed fashion-based projects for The Big Issue, Oxfam, Salvation Army, and The Homeless World Cup.
Richard was named in The Observer and Courvoisier Future 500 intake for 2009 - a list of 500 young individuals based in the UK believed to make an impact in the world of design and enterprise. Richard was also named as one of the top 100 Young Ethical Entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom in 2009.
Richard regularly talks at schools, colleges, universities, and enterprise events/conferences about his journey as social entrepreneur as a Young Business Ambassador for the Prince's Trust and the government's Make Your Mark campaign. He also works as a consultant on social entrepreneurial and fashion-based projects for leading social enterprises and fashion design companies. Please contact We Create* for more information on Richard's services.
Richard would like to thank the School for Social Entrepreneurs, UnLtd*, Prince's Trust, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- More information www.RichardAnthonyLeighton.com
- Download Richard Leighton's Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
- Email rich@WeCreate.org.uk
- Profile www.WeCreate.org.uk/profile/RichardAnthonyLeighton
- Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690960330&ref=profile
Richard loves Torquay United, American Apparel, Sweden, Pub Golf, Chocolate Yazoo, and Bulliet Bourbon
Voted Sexiest Social Entrepreneur 2013 by Social Enterprise Magazine.

