When the London-based designer Edeline Lee told her parents she wanted to go into fashion, she was given an ultimatum. “The reality was my dad basically made me sign a contract saying I had to get into law school before I could go to fashion school,” she says.

Lee’s father wanted to make sure his daughter would be able to support herself in life. Heading into the fashion industry, to most parents, is like leaving for Hollywood with $20 in your pocket and a dream. Fashion was always going to be Lee’s path, however, even if her parents couldn’t yet see her vision.