Winners of the new initiative were announced today
Today, the British Fashion Council (BFC) announces the launch of an exciting new initiative, BFC Contemporary, sponsored by eBay.
BFC Contemporary aims to strengthen the UK’s contemporary ready-to-wear and accessory offering by providing fashion designers with a programme that delivers mentorship and offers strategic commercial opportunities.
The British Fashion Council and eBay will work closely with the selected designers to support and build their strategies, focusing on brand concepts, production, budgets, scalability, online and offline growth and consumer experience. The mentoring sessions will be tailored to the needs of each designer including access to pro-bono expertise from industry specialists.
The new scheme has been created in response to increasing demand for worldwide contemporary fashion. The participants were selected for their creative excellence, commercial potential and originality in the contemporary arena.
The 2014 BFC Contemporary recipients are:
Alexis Barrell
Georgia Hardinge
Paper London
Prism
Zoë Jordan
As part of the launch season, each designer will create a limited edition item that captures the essence of their signature aesthetic. To celebrate London Fashion Week these items will be sold in a limited edition run, on the first ever BFC Contemporary shop on eBay.co.uk to 18 million shoppers this September. The BFC Contemporary shop will be located within the new Fashion Collective destination on eBay.co.uk; a dedicated space that hosts a wide selection of clothing, shoes and accessories, directly available from a variety of recognised retailers and brands.
Caroline Rush, CEO British Fashion Council commented: “We are delighted to support and help accelerate the growth of these very viable fashion businesses. Each of the inaugural BFC Contemporary designers possess incredible creativity and strong brand concepts. With invaluable support from eBay, these designers mark a new wave in British contemporary design, the rise of which we aim to fuel with this new initiative.”
Melanie Smallwood, head of curation and merchandising, eBay commented: “We are very proud to be partnering with the British Fashion Council this season, to launch this exciting new initiative. BFC Contemporary reflects eBay’s ongoing commitment to support emerging design talent, assisting the recipients in fulfilling their business ambitions. The first ever BFC Contemporary Shop on eBay.co.uk will provide a fantastic platform to showcase British Contemporary designers to eBay.co.uk’s 18 million shoppers.”
This is the second time the BFC has partnered with eBay. In 2012, eBay sponsored the BFC’s Fashion Forward initiative, which supported designers including Holly Fulton, House of Holland, Louise Gray and Mary Katrantzou.
The inaugural designers were invited to apply by the BFC and eBay however in 2015 official applications will be open to all designers looking for BFC Contemporary support.
Tagged in fashion