British Fashion Council launches new membership programme

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has launched a new membership programme with an annual subscription and an international professional network for British designers.

The BFC Membership will provide designers, who are at “various stages in fashion business from emerging to established brands” access to an online portal featuring relevant industry news, government updates and insight reports, as well as opportunities to attend business development seminars, workshops and events from across the fashion industry, all highlighted in a weekly newsletter.

BFC Members will also be able to contribute to the industry through mentoring talent schemes for emerging businesses, share their knowledge and expertise at designer roundtables and commission insight reports. In addition, members will be able to participate in voting for The Fashion Awards, the annual industry celebration and fundraiser for the BFC Foundation.

Other benefits listed on the BFC’s membership website includes reduced fees for London Fashion Week and London Fashion Week Men’s schedule and designer showrooms, a dedicated BFC account manager, priority booking at The Fashion Awards, use of the exclusive Designer Membership logo, an invitation to exclusive BFC events and to the BFC chairman bi-annual events and quarterly patron briefings on BFC activity.

Caroline Rush, BFC chief executive said in a statement: “The BFC is moving to a membership organisation as part of our mission to encourage collaboration and inclusivity, inviting designers to come together in support of the fashion industry’s eco-system. We invite and welcome new members to join, whose involvement and efforts will enable the future sustainable growth of our industry.”

BFC moves towards a membership organisation with introduction of members scheme

The membership programme will be supported by the Designer Relations team at the BFC and is open to applications from fashion designers as well as direct to consumer businesses who have been trading for a minimum of two years, who are a registered business with Companies House, who produce collections that consists of ready-to-wear and/or accessories, and have a product vision set out by a creative director and contribute both creatively and economically to the British fashion industry.

Membership levels and cost will be determined by annual turnover and will range from Designer Members to Patron Members, which the BFC states will encourage “engagement with the industry at all levels of business”.

Designer Member levels start at fashion labels with annual turnover up to 1 million pounds, where they will have to pay 500 pounds a year to be part of the BFC Membership, up to fashion brands with an annual turnover between 50 and 100 million pounds, which will cost them 10,000 pounds a year to join.

While Patron Members, with turnover up to 150 million pounds will have to pay 15,000 pounds a year, and companies with over 150 million pounds will be charged 25,000 pounds a year.

Image: courtesy of the BFC/London Fashion Week