BFC announce Fashion Forward winners

The British Fashion Council chose designers Meadham Kirchhoff, Peter Pilotto and Todd Lynn to receive Fashion Forward sponsorship for two seasons to show at February 2011 and September 2011 London Fashion Week. The Fashion

Forward scheme sponsored by Coutts & Co and supported by the London Development Agency, was established 5 years ago to provide funding to talented emerging British designers to show and develop their businesses in London. Fashion Forward is a key BFC initiative to promote emerging design talent providing winners with a cash prize to showcase their collection and access to knowledge to develop their business.

Fashion Forward applicants are judged by a panel of experts including Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the BFC; Alan Marshall, Coutts & Co; Anna Orsini, BFC Consultant; Averyl Oates, Harvey Nichols; Dolly Jones, Vogue.com and Sarah Mower, American Vogue and BFC’s Ambassador for Emerging Talent.

Previous Fashion Forward winners include Christopher Kane, Erdem, Giles Deacon, Jonathan Saunders, Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Illincic and Sinha-Stanic.

Caroline Rush, CEO, British Fashion Council, commented “This year’s Fashion Forward recipients are an incredible group of designers, watched each season by the world’s media and buyers as they build their brands. I am excited to see what the year ahead will bring for Edward, Ben, Peter, Chris and Todd and the collections that they will be showcasing at next month’s London Fashion Week. I thank our sponsors Coutts & Co and the London Development Agency for their continued support.”

Michael Morley, Chief Executive of Coutts & Co, commented "Coutts is thrilled to be sponsoring Fashion Forward, supporting London’s status as the hotbed of emerging talent. This sponsorship re-enforces our commitment to the world of contemporary creative industries, where the last few years have seen us enjoy highly successful relationships with fashion designers such as Stella McCartney and Oswald Boateng; and sponsorship of Matthew Williamson’s ‘10 Years in Fashion’ retrospective at the Design Museum and most recently Coutts London Jewellery Week. The UK is a world leader at creating new fashion designers and Coutts is determined to support this emerging talent with mentoring schemes, providing business acumen and training, and financial advice to support the next generation."

Image: Peter Pilotto