Jena Theo
JENA.THEO have won Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden; the platform to discover, nurture and support the hottest emerging design talent in the UK.
‘I am feeling stunned and elated and privileged as all of the designers on this year’s platform so deserved to win," said Jenny Holmes, who is one half of the winning design duo along with Dimitris Theocharidis, "Having the support of everybody at Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden means we can make our dreams happen.’ Dimitris Theocharidis added, ‘I feel amazing, it has been a great platform, the mentoring and support was incredible. We feel really secure having the Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden support to help us make our next collection."
Chaired by Donatella Versace, the 2009 Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden judging panel included Anne Pitcher (Buying Director at Selfridges), Antoni Burakowski (Designer, Antoni and Alison), Joshua Schulman (CEO of Jimmy Choo), Natalie Massenet (Chairman and Founder of Net-a-porter), Paula Reed (Fashion Director of Grazia) and Professor Roy Peach (Dean of MA Fashion at London College of Fashion).
JENA.THEO were presented with a trophy designed by young, London based jewellery designer Jessica McCormack. They are also awarded in excess of £100,000 worth of support from the Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden development fund for their business and a slot at London Fashion Week in February and September 2010. Their collection will be exhibited in Rendez-Vous Paris at Jeu de Paume from 2nd – 5th October.
This year’s four finalists were selected by the high profile judging panel in May and showcased their collections today at The Flower Cellars Covent Garden, as part of London Fashion Week’s official schedule. Their stories were told to the guests in short films shown on DELL laptops before their catwalks presentations.
Colin McDowell, Founder and Creative Director of Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden said after the show, ‘As always with judging process there was a lively discussion amongst our team of experts lead by Donatella Versace. All of the judges were in agreement on who should win, but there was great support for the other three finalists. I am feeling very confident for JENA.THEO, and a lot of is because of our home in the creative hub of Covent Garden, London.’
Over the past three months the designers have undergone an intensive mentoring programme from industry experts in all subjects surrounding the industry and business, from PR to Marketing, logistics to sales, brand identity to individuality, and from law to finance. They were invited by Honorary Chair, Donatella Versace, to sit front row at the Versace SS10 menswear show in June, the Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana party and a tour of the Versace Atelier. This kind of experience and training is indispensable for a designer looking to establish their own sustainable business. For July & August the designers were given a budget along with studio space at the London College of Fashion to create their capsule collection.
In order to expand it’s mentoring to all those with plans to set up design businesses Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden and new partner Davenport Lyons have created a unique user-friendly booklet ‘The Look and The Law’ to help reduce the hurdles that most young brands face when starting a new business.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said: “On the 25th anniversary of Fashion Week in London, the city is proud to be at the centre of supporting and sustaining cutting edge fashion talent. Now in its 6th year Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden has established itself as the major player in discovering, nurturing and sustaining up and coming London based fashion designers. It is an important business model that consolidates London as the international centre for fashion creativity and attracts important investment and worldwide attention from key fashion industry players and trendsetters. I am delighted to be able to support this initiative once again.”
Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden is proudly sponsored and supported by Covent Garden London; American Express; Davenport Lyons; DHL; London Development Agency and Mayor of London; Net-a-porter; L’Oréal Paris, L’Oréal Professionnel, Sunday Times Style and is an IMG Event.