The British Fashion Council (BFC) and ELLE magazine today announce the designer ‘BFC / ELLE Talent Launch Pad’ to promote Britain’s new design talent. This new launch pad scheme will complement the showcasing opportunities offered by London Fashion Week by providing selected young designers with the image creation and sales infrastructure necessary to ensure long term business development.
The initiative will address two ongoing yet interlinked challenges: engaging regional designer retailers in championing new British design talent and creating marketing material that allows designers to promote and sell their collections.
Designers eligible to apply for this initiative must have been in business for no more than two years and will be selected by a committee comprising key British retailers, brand development experts and fashion influencers.
ELLE Magazine will give the winning designers access to the industry’s top stylists, photographers and creative directors to create marketing materials including images, films and look books. ELLE UK will also give the initiative extensive editorial and promotional support.
The BFC will partner with retailers to select talent and host in-store events to stock and promote the winning designers collections to their local audiences.
Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, commented ‘This partnership with ELLE will provide our young designers with access to a team of mentors and experts that they would not have access to at this embryonic stage of their career. Launch-pad Marketing Materials will help them to promote their brands regionally, internationally and will also add value to BFC showcasing support initiatives.’
Lorraine Candy, editor-in-chief, of ELLE UK, ‘Brilliant young designers in London understandably focus their resources on creating outstanding collections. We will use our styling and image making expertise to help promote and build their businesses and get their great work into British shops as soon as possible, so style hungry women up and down the country can wear and support new talent.’
This initiative will complement the British Fashion Council’s existing showcasing support schemes including NEWGEN sponsored by Topshop and Fashion Forward supported by Coutts & Co.
Full press release