Future of Fashion Strategic Considerations for Growth
The British Fashion Council launched the ‘Future of Fashion – Strategic Considerations for Growth’ report this morning at a press conference, hosted by Sir Philip Green and Harold Tillman CBE, to open London Fashion Week February 2012.
The UK fashion industry is worth £21billion to the UK economy and makes a vital contribution to the global reputation of Great Britain as a leader in creative excellence. Much more can be done to drive the sector forward, however, and contribute to much needed growth for the UK economy. In this document The British Fashion Council lays out its vision for the sector, identifying five areas which it believes have great potential and highlights the action required to ensure this potential is met. Spanning skills, training, education, job creation, talent development, retail, manufacturing, philanthropy and sponsorship. The considerations offer inspiration and hope for the future of this great industry and for the UK economy.
As part of the conference, Sir Philip Green announced Topshop’s plans to sponsor NEWGEN for a further 10 years. He stated that it is his personal goal to mentor at least a further 2 or 3 designers from the ground up to the world stage to emulate previous successes.
Over the past 10 years, 120 designers have been supported by the NEWGEN scheme. 49 shows out of the 95 on the LFW schedule have been supported NEWGEN, this equates to 52% of the LFW schedule.
Harold Tillman CBE, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, said ‘We believe that fashion can do so much to drive growth in Britain. By presenting this opportunity, whilst highlighting the challenges, we hope to unite the industry and government in doing everything possible to drive that growth.’
A copy of ‘Future of Fashion – Strategic Considerations for Growth’ is available as a downloadable document from www.britishfashioncouncil.com/futureoffashion
For further information on London Fashion Week visit www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
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For more information contact:
Gemma Ebelis at the British Fashion Council Tel: +44 (0) 20 7759 1989
gemma@britishfashioncouncil.com
- LFW Catwalk Shows will run from Friday 17th September – Tuesday 21st February 2012 with menswear shows on Wednesday 22nd February 2012.
- Opening Hours of The Exhibition at London Fashion Week - Friday 17th – Monday 20th September 2011 10am - 7pm and Tuesday 21st September 10am – 6pm.
- The British Fashion Council (BFC) was set up in 1983 to promote British fashion internationally and co-ordinate this promotion through fashion weeks, exhibitions and showcasing events. The BFC now supports designers beginning at college level and extending to talent identification, business support and showcasing schemes to help British designer businesses develop their profiles and business globally and promote British fashion and its influential role in Creative Britain and Creative London. The BFC Colleges Council offers support to students through its MA Scholarship, links with industry through Design Competitions and Graduate Preview Day. Talent identification and business support schemes include the BFC/Elle Talent Launch Pad; BFC Fash/On Film sponsored by River Island; BFC Rock Vault sponsored by International Palladium Board; BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund; Estethica; Fashion Forward; NEWGEN sponsored by Topshop and NEWGEN MEN sponsored by Topman. Showcasing initiatives include London Fashion Week, LONDON showROOMS, the BFC/Bazaar Fashion Arts Foundation, International Fashion Showcase and the annual celebration of excellence in the fashion industry: the British Fashion Awards.
- London Fashion Week is organised by the British Fashion Council.
- Topshop began to support the NEWGEN scheme in 2001 and AW12 will mark the tenth anniversary. Established in 1993, NEWGEN acts as a promotional launch pad for young designers, attracting media profile, orders and investment whilst offering encouragement and support for new talent. Previous NEWGEN winners include Alexander McQueen, Antonio Berardi, Clements Ribeiro, Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Boudicca, Sophia Kokosalaki, Jonathan Saunders and Gareth Pugh.
