Selection Panel

MICHAEL VAN DER HAM SS12

Each season, recipients of the BFC NEWGEN sponsored by Topshop are selected by a panel of industry experts, drawn from the BFC Selection Panel.

The level of financing awarded to individual designer businesses varies from catwalk to presentation and exhibition sponsorship.

BFC NEWGEN Selection Panel for spring/summer 2015:

Sarah Mower	British Fashion Council, BFC Ambassador of Emerging Talent (Chair)
Caroline Rush	British Fashion Council, CEO (Co-Chair)
Alex Fury	The Independent, The Independent on Sunday and i, Fashion Editor
Anna Orsini	British Fashion Council, Business Support Adviser
Barbara Grispini	Curator, LONDON show ROOMS and Brand Development consultant
David Watts	British Fashion Council, Business Support Adviser
Fran Burns	VOGUE, Fashion Editor
Karen Langley	Freeland Fashion Stylist
Kate Phelan	TOPSHOP, Creative Director
Laura Burlington	Fashion Consultant
Laura Hinson	British Fashion Council, Showcasing Manager
Laura Larbalestier	Browns, Womens Buying Director
Madelaine Evans	TOPSHOP, Buying Director
Mary Katrantzou	Mary Katrantzou, Founder & Creative Director
Melanie Rickey	Grazia, Pop and Ponystep Contributing Editor
Narmin Mohammadi	British Fashion Council, Head of Showcasing
Rebecca Lowthorpe	ELLE Collections, Editor / ELLE, Assistant Editor
Ruth Chapman	Matchesfashion.com, Co-Founder
Sheena Sauvaire	TOPSHOP, Chief Marketing Officer
Stavros Karelis	Machine-A, Founder
Susanne Tide-Frater	Fashion Consultant

 

Mary Katrantzou is the first designer to sit on the NEWGEN panel.

"I'm thrilled Mary Katrantzou has agreed to join our NEWGEN selection panel, as she's really our ideal poster-girl for how much an original talent can achieve through the scheme. Mary started out selling just a handful of printed shift dresses with NEWGEN at the first London Showroom in Paris in 2009 - now she exports all over the world. She will add the invaluable perspective of someone who knows exactly what it's like, and what it takes, to be a young entrepreneurial designer. NEWGEN committee members devote hours to advising young designers and putting them on the fast - track to visibility, thanks to the generosity of Topshop's sponsorship and donation of their show space. The interview stage is like the highest level personal tutorial for promising beginners, with freely given insights from the capital's very best retail executives, editors and buyers who are the ace team responsible for guiding Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Roksanda Ilincic, Peter Pilotto, J.W. Anderson, Simone Rocha and many more through their first steps in business. Now that we have a home-grown designer of the calibre of Mary Katrantzou on our mentoring team, those who reach the short list of NEWGEN will come out armed with a uniquely valuable set of pointers, and sustained support, if they win." - Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent and chair of the NEWGEN selection committee 

 

For further information please contact:
Emma Campbell
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7759 1964
emma.campbell@britishfashioncouncil.com