It’s a cloudy April day on the banks of the Thames, but even the passing showers couldn’t dampen the spirits of the crowd gathered in a suite at the newly opened 180 Thames for the jury day of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. The prestigious fashion talent initiative awards one British-based designer business a £150,000 grant, as well as a vital mentoring support package.
The finalist line-up for the fund is a testament to the best of British design talent. This year’s was no exception, featuring six of the most progressive and distinct names from the country’s independent fashion design scene: Aaron Esh, Bianca Saunders, Clio Peppiatt, Knwls, Onalaja and Talia Byre.
On the day, each designer was asked to present a business case before a jury that comprises some of the industry’s leading voices. Laura Weir, chief executive, British Fashion Council and Chioma Nnadi, head of editorial content, British Vogue, sat at the chair, while panelists included models Alva Claire and Alexa Chung; Jonathan Kiman, chief marketing officer, Burberry; stylists Julia Sarr-Jamois and Harry Lambert; Laura Ingham, deputy director, global fashion network, British Vogue; Sally Britton, partner (Intellectual Property, co-head of Retail), Mishcon de Reya; Sarah Mower MBE, chief critic, Vogue.com and BFC ambassador for emerging talent. You’d naturally expect it to be something of a daunting day for the designers, but the atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation.
Across the board, there was a distinct sense of self-assuredness in how they would use the funds to help reinforce the businesses they’ve already invested so much into consolidating, particularly in the face of the unanimously acknowledged headwinds that today’s independent designers face.
“For me, this is really about pursuing something that would allow me to keep my business independent, which is so important to me,” says Aaron Esh, the founding designer of his namesake brand, and the recently appointed creative director of AllSaints. “I want to maintain the instinct and charm of a start-up, and for my brand to exist in five and 10 years’ time on my terms, and I think that winning this would allow me to be able to achieve that.”
