International Fashion Showcase winners announced

The British Fashion Council named Estonia as the winners of the International

Fashion Showcase 2014 during London Fashion Week.

Sarah Mower, BFC’s ambassador for emerging talent and contributing editor to US Vogue, presented the top accolade to Estonia, while giving special mentions to Paraguay, Portugal and Qatar for their exhibitions.

The award for Best Designer went to Hyein Seo from Korea with a special mention for Sopho Gongliashvili from Georgia, Lucian Broscatean from Romania and Matthias Winkler from Austria.

There was also an award for the best curation, presented by Alistair O'Neill, which went to Yoshikazu Yamagata from Japan with a special mention for curators Yanina Aubrey for Paraguay, Miguel Flor for Portugal and Gemma Williams for Vietnam.

Mower said: “We're so thrilled to welcome the young designers of so many countries to London. The buzz created by such an extraordinary cross-cultural exchange is creating a dynamic which is snowballing year by year.

“The IFS is a seismograph for registering where the next - very unexpected - waves of fashion culture are rising. It's a way of learning about each other as well as celebrating individual voices who deserve the opportunity to be heard."

The showcase, which this year featured 27 countries and 146 designers, is designed to offer international press and buyers, as well as the public the chance to see work by emerging designers from around the world. The event runs at 180 The Strand until February 23.