Image: Backstage at Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden (spring/summer 2010), London Fashion Week September 2009.
The
International Young Fashion Entrepreneur award (IYFE) is a British Council award that seeks to champion and celebrate the importance of creative entrepreneurs working in the field of fashion. The award is the result of a cross departmental collaboration between our Creative Economy Unit and Design Team to showcase international innovation in fashion promotion, using the UK as the nexus for cultural, creative and commercial exchange.
IYFE participants can be drawn from any of the following areas of the fashion sector:
• Fashion, textile, accessories or perfume design and production
• Fashion promotion: shows, exhibitions, festivals, events
• Fashion retail: buying, merchandising
• Fashion product research, sourcing, supply chain management
• Fashion marketing, PR, branding, journalism
• Fashion publishing, communications, websites
• Consultants providing specialist services in any of the areas outlined
*The IYCE awards are unique in rewarding entrepreneurial ability. We recognise that a finalist may be active as a fashion designer, but this should be secondary to their focus as an entrepreneur in the promotion of the fashion industry in their country. Artistic talent will not be factored into the judging procedure – finalists will be judged solely on the merit of their entrepreneurial abilities in the industry.
Programme: UK Tour, London Fashion Week
In February 2010 our eight finalists will arrive in the UK for a week long tour of the UK national fashion industry. This programme, which will be created with UK partners, will take them to London and Nottingham to meet leaders of the fashion sector. The tour will comprise visits, meetings, seminars and events and shows as part of London Fashion Week. We anticipate that it will also include a master-class with Sir Paul Smith (www.paulsmith.co.uk ) during which the finalists will be able to question him about the development of his highly successful fashion business.
The programme will be tailored to the finalists’ interests, and include both a group itinerary for the finalists to get a shared overview of the best of the UK fashion scene and specific meetings to introduce finalists to UK contacts of particular interest to them for commercial or collaborative purposes.
Details are still to be confirmed, but finalists will:
• Attend London Fashion Week.
• Participate in the IYFE award ceremony, where the award winner will be announced.
For any specific questions regarding this award, please contact
Nicolle Weeks
nicolle.weeks@britishcouncil.org