We are delighted to announce the designers selected for the 2024/25 programme. NEWGEN is the BFC’s longest standing and most internationally celebrated emerging talent support and showcasing initiative. BFC NEWGEN in partnership with Pull&Bear supports the very best emerging talent and aims to build global, responsible fashion brands of the future.
Each year, a cohort of designers are identified by their creativity, strong design aesthetic and point of difference by industry-led panels chaired by Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent. For 2024/25, the designers selected are:
AARON ESH | ANCUȚA SARCA | Charlie Constantinou* | Chet Lo | DERRICK | DI PETSA | HARRI | JOHANNA PARV* | Karoline Vitto* | Kazna Asker | Leo Carlton | LUEDER* |
MASHA POPOVA | Paolo Carzana | Pauline Dujancourt* | Sinéad O’Dwyer | Steve O Smith* | The Winter House | TOLU COKER | YAKU*
*First year as a BFC NEWGEN recipient
BFC NEWGEN offers designers financial grants, showcasing opportunities and delivers individual mentoring and training sessions to assist them as they develop their business infrastructure and skills. Last month, the BFC announced Pull&Bear as the new Principal Partner for BFC NEWGEN. The brand will support with direct financial support and mentorship as well as provide a platform for storytelling, through its new experiential vertical ‘Canvas for Creativity’.
Applications were open from 15th January to 1st March 2024. The categories included Ready to Wear (RTW) Womenswear, RTW Menswear, and Accessories. The panel was introduced to a shortlist of designers that had been identified by the sift panel. The panels were chaired by Sarah Mower MBE, Chief Critic, Vogue Runway, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent, and were made up of Anita Chhiba, Creative Director, Diet Paratha, Anna Orsini, Strategic Consultant, British Fashion Council, Christopher Morency, Co-Founder, edition+partners, Ella Lucia, Stylist, Costume Designer and Creative Director, Francois Souchet, Managing Director, Swanstant, Hetty Mahlich, Editor of SHOWstudio, Writer and Consultant, Karen Binns, Editor and Publisher, Matthew Whitehouse, Editor, The Face, Nasir Mazhar, Designer and Founder of Fantastic Toiles, Odunayo Ojo, Freelance Fashion Journalist and Editor-in-Chief, The Fashion Archive Magazine, Oscar de Castro Pedrouzo, Global Communications Director, Pull&Bear, Rhea Dillon, Artist, Writer and Founder of Studio Studio, Roksanda Ilinčić MBE, Founder and Creative Director, Roksanda, Stavros Karelis, Founder and Creative Director, MACHINE-A, Yvie Hutton, Director of Membership and Designer Relations, British Fashion Council.
Since its launch in 1993, BFC NEWGEN has supported designers including Alexander McQueen, Bianca Saunders, Christopher Kane, Duro Olowu, Grace Wales Bonner, Kim Jones, Jonathan Anderson, Richard Quinn, and many more.
The BFC would like to thank the Principal Partner of BFC NEWGEN, Pull&Bear. The BFC delivers individual mentoring and business training sessions to assist the designers as they develop their infrastructure, with pro-bono legal services from DLA Piper, and tax and accounting support from RSM whom the BFC would like to thank. The BFC also thanks Zedonk, the Fashion Business Network, and one-to-one mentors for the ongoing support to all initiatives, as well as The Mills Fabrica for generously hosting the BFC NEWGEN panel.