County lines abuse inspires young fashion designer

A Devon designer is using her fashion to make a statement about the dangers posed to children by drug gangs.

Madelaine Atkinson said her striking designs, including a long cloak covered in mobile phones and a stab-vest, illustrate the way young people are exploited and need better protection from county lines drug gangs.

Miss Atkinson created her six designs for London Fashion Week and spent time visiting schools to explain how the gangs expanded their operations by targeting children in small towns and villages.

Miss Atkinson, who grew up in Devon, said: “I don’t want to glamorise it, it’s to highlight the abuse people go through.”

The Children’s Commissioner has estimated there are at least 46,000 children in England who have become involved in the drug gang activity.

Miss Atkinson said her stab-vest silhouettes portrayed themes of county lines violence and that oversized vests were used to emphasise the protection needed for those involved.

She also designed a 2.5m (8ft) long cape adorned with hundreds of phones donated from phone repair shops in London and Exeter.

She said the number of phones used represented how vast the criminal networks involved in county lines were and how extensively the issue affected the UK.

Miss Atkinson worked with Lennox Rodgers, chief executive officer of the charity Refocus, to visit schools affected by county lines gangs and speak to pupils.

Refocus is a London-based charity which offers early intervention to young people caught up in knife crime or county lines drug dealing.

Mr Rodgers said he grew up around gangs and spent time in prison before setting up the charity “to apologise for his life of crime”.

He said: “By rescuing kids from gangs, it is a way of saying sorry, you know, and helping people to avoid the same things that I suffered.

“If I had some of the help that my charity provides, I think I would have had a much different life.”

The charity plans to continue working with the designer to provide more case studies to strengthen her work.

Miss Atkinson said she hoped her collection would help to take judgement away from young people who may be caught up with county lines and instead highlight their vulnerability.

She said some people told her the theme was “too heavy” to be palatable for the fashion industry, but she wanted to “make meaningful pieces”.

The collection was part of her Masters degree in fashion entrepreneurship in design and brand Innovation at the Jimmy Choo Academy.

A portion of the profits from the collection are due to be donated to Refocus.