The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organisation that promotes British fashion design worldwide. It was formed in 1983 and is based in London. Industry patrons, commercial sponsors and the government fund the BFC. Its aim is to further the interests of the British fashion industry and support its designer businesses by harnessing and sharing collective knowledge, experience, and resources of the sector. The BFC’s purpose is to strengthen British Fashion in the global fashion economy as a leader in responsible creative businesses. It does so by championing diversity, building and inviting the industry to actively participate in a network to accelerate a successful circular fashion economy.
What does the BFC do for the British fashion industry?
The BFC leads the industry through creative influence and is strategically repositioning British fashion in the global fashion economy.
It showcases the best of British fashion design to an international audience by hosting the London Fashion Week, LONDON show ROOMs, and the annual Fashion Awards.
Furthermore, the BFC helps designers at various stages of their businesses through support initiatives. These include the Colleges Council, an initiative that offers MA scholarships and facilitates links between the fashion industry and fashion graduates.
The BFC also runs its own charities. The BFC Foundation formed in 2019, brings all its charitable initiatives under one umbrella supporting the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on three areas: Education, Grant-Giving & Business Mentoring and Institute of Positive Fashion. Some other support initiavies include The BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, the BFC Fashion Trust, and the BFC Education Foundation are some examples.
Another means of support of the BFC is its business intelligence, which is published in the Designer Fact-File, an online handbook for designers with the first ever in-depth statistic-based reports on the fashion industry.
What is the BFC’s Positive Fashion initiative?
The Institute of Positive Fashion is a platform designed to celebrate industry best practices and encourage future business decisions to create positive change. It is led by 3 strategic pillars:
- The first pillar is Environment and focuses on environmental and business governance to drive a more sustainable fashion future.
- People is the second pillar. The BFC sets standards for the respect and dignity of people in fashion, from the product makers to the staff, students and models who pioneer the brands.
- The last pillar of the initiative is Craftsmanship & Community. It supports the community of talent, skills and craftsmanship that make up the industry and is designed to develop connections and understanding between designers and manufacturers taking a holistic approach to the long term viability of the sector.
Are the British Fashion Awards still being organized?
The Fashion Awards, formerly known as The British Fashion Awards, is an annual celebration of creativity and innovation shining a spotlight on exceptional individuals and influential businesses that have made significant contributions to the global fashion industry over the past twelve months. As a fundraiser for the BFC Foundation, the celebration enables the BFC to focus on celebrating excellence in the fashion industry and support the future pipeline of creative talent. Some of the past honourees include Stella McCartney OBE, Christopher Bailey CBE, J.W. Anderson, Daniel Lee, Naomi Campbell, Franca Sozzani, Dame Vivienne Westwood, the signatories of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, Kenneth Ize, Edward Enninful OBE and many more.
What role does the BFC play in the London Fashion Week?
The London Fashion Week is organised and hosted be the BFC. It is the biannual showcase of British fashion.
See the website of the British Fashion Council HERE