LONDON, Apr 23, 2014/ — The British Fashion Council (BFC) today announced that Christopher Raeburn, Christopher Shannon, E. Tautz, Lou Dalton and Richard Nicoll are on the shortlist for the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund supported by Vertu.
Dylan Jones, Editor of British GQ and Chair of London Collections: Men commented, “The shortlisted designers are testament to the extraordinary array of talent in the menswear industry in Britain right now.”
“The current generation of British menswear designers might be the best ever, as they not only have creativity in abundance, but also a keen business sense. Our young designers know that without a solid business background, success can be tough, which is why it is so heartening to see such strong business plans from these shortlisted designers. I wish them all well,” Jones added
The judging panel agreed that each of the shortlisted designers were in a strong position to develop into a global designer brand and ready for the level of support the fund offers. The shortlisted designers will participate in a mentoring programme developed by the BFC over the next month, where industry experts will provide guidance on topics including branding, leadership, commercial retail, e-tail and wholesale and digital innovation.
Vertu, the world’s leading luxury mobile manufacturer and lead partner on this Fund, will play a key role in the mentoring programme and give access to its team of business leaders in technology, global distribution, legal and finance. The shortlisted designers will then pitch their business plans to a judging panel in June 2014 when the winner of the Fund will be selected.
The Fund provides one designer with a bespoke, high level mentoring support programme over a twelve month period, as well as a £150,000 grant to provide necessary infrastructure to take them to the next stage in their business and £50,000 value in kind services. The Fund is aimed at businesses that have been trading for a minimum of three years, with UK and international stockists and have graduated through the existing BFC talent support schemes or are at a similar stage in their business.
For more information visit www.britishfashioncouncil.com/designermenswearfund
