Fashion Forward 2014 winners named

Sophia Webster, J. JS Lee and Nasir Mazhar have been awarded the Fashion Forward prize for Autumn/Winter

2014 and Spring/Summer 2015.

The scheme supported by the Mayor of London will offer the three new womenswear designers financial support towards a catwalk show or presentation for during London Fashion Week, as well as business support from the British Fashion Council.

"Jackie, Nazir and Sophia have come through the ranks and couldn't be more deserving of this level of recognition," said BFC chief executive Caroline Rush. "Each of them has a very distinctive design aesthetic; their visions very different from one another. However, together they very much share the limelight that is shining on London right now."

For the first time J. JS Lee will open London Fashion Week with a highly anticipated show at 9am in the BFC Courtyard Show Space on Friday, February 14, while Nasir Mazhar will show the same day at 4pm at the BFC Courtyard Show Space, and Sophia Webster will present her collection from 10.30-12.30pm on Sunday, February 16 in Covent Garden.

Fashion Forward was established in 2009 and is eligible for designers who have passed through NewGen or who are at a similar stage of their business. Previous winners of the initiative include Mary Katrantzou, Henry Holland and David Koma.