L-R Massimiliano Pogliani, Christopher Shannon, Caroline Rush and Dylan Jones. Photographer credit, Darren Gerrish
The British Fashion Council (BFC) has Christopher Shannon as the winner of the inaugural BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund supported by Vertu.
The Fund was established in September 2013 following the success of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund and provides one designer with £150,000 grant to provide necessary infrastructure to take them to the next stage of their business and £50,000 value in kind services, including a bespoke, high level mentoring support programme over a twelve month period.
Christopher Raeburn, Christopher Shannon, E. Tautz, Lou Dalton and Richard Nicoll were shortlisted for the 2014 prize and participated in a mentoring programme where industry experts, including Fund committee members Ben Banks and Jonathan Akeroyd provided guidance on topics including strategic planning, branding, leadership, commercial retail, e-tail and wholesale and digital innovation.
Dylan Jones, Editor of British GQ and Chair of London Collections: Men commented “A big congratulations to Christopher Shannon, the deserving winner of the very first BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund. Over the mentoring programme every shortlisted designer presented a level of talent and business acumen that is second to none. While the competition was tough, Christopher Shannon’s win attests to the very bright future of British menswear, demonstrating original flair, meticulous craftsmanship and an in-depth commercial understanding. These ingredients, combined with this fantastic prize, will see this business sit confidently on the global stage.”
Vertu, the world’s leading luxury mobile manufacturer and lead partner on this Fund, played a key role in the mentoring programme and gave access to its team of business leaders in technology, global distribution, legal and finance.
Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council, commented: “We’re delighted to award this year’s fund to Christopher Shannon. The label has a strong identity, a clear business plan and has been creating a buzz at London Collections: Men since its inception. A deserving winner and already a key player in the menswear industry, it’s with great pleasure that we are able to further support this fashion business on its journey to international success.”
BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund judging committee comprises Alexander Fury, Fashion Editor, The Independent; Ben Banks, Director, Fourmarketing; Caroline Rush, Chief Executive, British Fashion Council; Charlie Porter, Men’s Fashion Critic, Financial Times; Dylan Jones OBE, Editor, British GQ and Chair of London Collections: Men; Ignacio Germande, Creative Director, Vertu; Jonathan Akeroyd, CEO Alexander McQueen; John Schofield, Head of Fashion Merchandising, Harvey Nichols and Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO, Vertu.
Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO of Vertu commented: “It has been a privilege for Vertu to mentor the five shortlisted designers. What we at Vertu were looking for was the willingness to always go the extra mile, the ambition to develop the business and the brand at the same time, and the enthusiasm to keep on learning. With Christopher Shannon this was clear from the start. He demonstrated the vision and focus to build what I believe could be a global presence. Christopher Shannon has all the potential to build a very solid and distinctive brand and I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of him.”
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