BFC Community,
As we anticipate the start of London Fashion Week presented by 1664 Blanc this week, I want to thank everyone within our community who plays their part in making it happen and making the designers’ visions a reality. All your efforts this week will be seen on the global stage showcasing what the UK does best. Against the backdrop of various social and economic challenges I feel optimistic because:
- We have the best creative talent in the world
- By our nature we are resilient, dynamic, innovative – an industry built on the idea of constant change
- And, we have a new government which is an opportunity for a reset
We are looking forward to working in partnership with the new government. We worked with Designers and Patrons to create our Fashion Manifesto and look forward to working with government to deliver to our five priorities…
- Restore the VAT Retail Export Scheme (Also known as “Tax-Free Shopping”) and reform business rates to boost growth in the fashion retail sector
- Greater trade and export investment for UK fashion designers
- Support our world-leading fashion education sector with a commitment to STEAM, not STEM
- Develop a new generation of businesses and skilled workers in the fashion sector
- Introduce legislation to activate sustainable business practices to meet decarbonisation and net-zero targets
The narrative of the government is one of growth and the fashion sector can contribute significantly to that growth. Thank you to the Department of Business and Trade (DBT), Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) for their support.
This year, The BFC has generated £1.9million in commercial funding which has allowed us to invest in and bolster our world class programmes. Our partnership with government continues to be an essential part of our work, this represents 22% of our funding and we are focused on building broader respect for our industry.
We want to create the environment for businesses to thrive, and to do this we need everyone to continue to play their part, from big businesses and retailers and media to educators, SMEs and government. It is this ecosystem that enables us to stand out and continue to punch above our weight. We ask that government respects our work and our impact and listens to our voice when making decisions, investing where necessary to support this industry which contributes £28.9bn to GDP and employs over 800,000 people nationwide.
Our Annual Report details all we achieved last year and I want to thank Caroline and her team for all that they do. The BFC’s work is focused on three strategic pillars, outlined below is an update of what we have achieved collectively and what is coming up.
On behalf of the BFC Board, I want to take this opportunity to thank all our panellists and committees for their contribution. To our partners, BFC Patrons and BFC Designer Members – the BFC Community – without you this work would not be possible.
Wishing you all a wonderful London Fashion Week. Creativity is our superpower and something to celebrate.
Very best wishes,
David
Fuelling Responsible Growth
We will create connections, insights and advisory opportunities for our dynamic, inclusive, and unified community to come together to collectively support our industry to grow, to prepare for regulation and for talent to gain access.
Member and Patron Events
The Member and Patron Programme delivers industry focused seminars, report launches, network events, government roundtables and leadership dinners. We encourage you to engage with the variety of opportunities coming up in the next quarter, which include a report on Commercialising Creativity which will culminate in a business networking event at the end of October, seminars on Employment and Corporate Law.
Thank you to the BFC Patrons who have offered their time and expertise to host mentoring sessions for our designer members, and thank you to the newly-onboarded individual mentors who have given their time pro bono to offer mentoring opportunities via the Industry Mentor Hub. Over 80 new slots have been added over the past three months, with more Members engaging with the Hub each month.
I am delighted to welcome our new BFC Patrons: Fenwick, Batra Group, JD.com, Pandora, MixZ, Daydream. And Designer Members: CARLOTA BARRERA, HORDE STUDIO, INGRID KRAFTCHENKO, Miss Sohee, Daisy London, MARFA STANCE, RAEBURN, Scamp & Dude, TOVE.
BFC Foundation
This year the BFC distributed £1.2million in funds from the BFC Foundation to support designers and scholars through our pioneering world class programmes that span different stages of business from start-up to growth funding and include BFC NEWGEN, BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund, BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund and BFC Fashion Trust. In numbers, 39 designers and 27 scholars have received support. Congratulations to all the recipients.
On Thursday we will announce the 2024 winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Alongside this we will launch the first BFC Foundation Impact Report which reflects on the tangible impact that the British Fashion Council (BFC) Foundation has made over the past four years to future proof the pipeline of creative talent to the industry. The work we do through the BFC Foundation (Registered Charity Number: 1185152) is entirely unique compared to its international counterparts. The BFC Foundation is the only charity in the UK that comprehensively supports fashion talent from education and scholarships through to emerging talent and growth funds.
Thank you to my fellow trustees Pam Batty, Laura Strain, Andin Fonyonga and to our brilliant co-chairs Tania Fares and Narmina Marandi for driving our fundraising and bringing together a brilliant group of over 40 BFC Foundation Patrons.
Relentless Innovation
For businesses at all stages to prepare for positive change through embracing innovation.
British fashion can be a catalyst of change in core commercial and cultural areas of the industry through Diversity Equity & Inclusion; Digital Fashion; and positive environmental practices through our Institute of Positive Fashion.
Environment
- The Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) focuses on circularity, decarbonisation and people, it brings together the programmes that we run to accelerate industry change
- The IPF Forum 2025 will take place on 20th March, save the date
- Through the IPF’s Low Carbon Transition Programme, the BFC is helping London based SMEs including micro businesses to decarbonise their supply chain. 27 of 50 businesses have now signed up, I urge our members to join to understand how to decarbonise your business
- The Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN) is a partnership between the BFC, UK Fashion & Textile (UKFT) and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) will shape an Industrial Scale Change Programme for the UK Fashion Industry to help us not only keep pace but lead in circularity and innovation. The programme will celebrate 1 year in October with an interim report to track impact and progress
Digital
- The BFC is coordinating industry access to the UCL Fashion Futures Network which aims to provide the UK fashion industry early access to AI technologies allowing strategic advantages to the sector. During this LFW, UCL will be conducting a ‘world first’ by capturing a portion of a fashion show using an AI method that was only invented 13 months ago. In October we will give patrons access to see this technology in action.
Amplifying our Narrative Globally
We will continue to evolve our platforms to amplify excellence in creativity and its role in the UK’s cultural influence.
The Fashion Awards
The Fashion Awards 2024 presented by Pandora will take place on 2nd December at London’s Royal Albert Hall. We are delighted to welcome back Principal Partner Pandora. The event will celebrate creative excellence and the cultural moments from the year in fashion. The Fashion Awards are the primary fundraiser for the BFC Foundation Charity which supports creative talent and this year we aim to raise £1 million in funding this year
- Tables are nearly sold out but there are boxes and seats for sale with preferential rates for BFC Patrons so please contact adam.mace@britishfashioncouncil.com. You will receive specific comms from the team.
London Fashion Week Celebrates 40 Years
London Fashion Week presented by 1664 Blanc is a global cultural platform which amplifies the diverse British creative community on a global stage and celebrates London as a world leading fashion capital. As LFW celebrates its 40th anniversary, it will spotlight the UK as a global creative powerhouse.
This year, it has been inspiring to look at the past 40 years of LFW, to reflect on the icons that make the UK stand out and the amazing cultural moments that have had impact beyond the fashion industry. It is a reminder that London is unique in its ability to encourage and celebrate differences and explore new ideas. Our creative excellence is what British fashion is known for globally and it is an honour to amplify that reputation and protect it in developing and securing the pipeline of talent for the future.
LFW September, Thursday 12th - Tuesday 16th
This September promises to be a fantastic celebration of British fashion. We have focused on the curation of the schedule with updated criteria to embrace diverse business models. We look forward to seeing the collections. Full schedule can be found here.
We are excited to be celebrating across the UK as we extend our City-Wide Celebration specifically in London, Manchester and Newcastle. Thank you to those in our network who are taking part. This is open to all.
The LFW Hub at 180 Strand will host the BFC NEWGEN Venue and a brilliant LFW40 Retrospective that details over 5000 designers that have shown on the schedule over the past 40 years.
We are delighted to continue the partnership with 1664 Blanc which will see the brand come to life throughout the 5 days from chic bars at our venue and parties to live moments including a consumer event in Covent Garden (thank you to our Patron Shaftesbury Capital for their collaboration) and an exclusive collaboration with BFC NEWGEN designer Tolu Coker. Don’t miss the 2nd edition of Le Journal Bleu which will be available for free at the BFC NEWGEN venue crammed with LFW news and features.
Thank you to BFC NEWGEN Principal Partner, PULL&BEAR for their support of emerging talent and BFC’s NEWGEN designers, in particular Johanna Parv, Di Petsa, Chet Lo and Harri. Look out for the free PULL&BEAR tote bags at these shows.
This season welcomes a total of 10 Official Partners to LFW, some new, some returning. Don’t miss TONI&GUY, LFW Official Haircare Partner, and their styling touch up station at the BFC NEWGEN venue; Alo, LFW first Official Wellness Partner will provide a host of experiences and classes to keep your energy and wellbeing nurtured; Yosiedo, LFW Skincare Partner will launch their brand to a UK audience for the first time in the BFC NEWGEN venue and Diet Coke LFW Official Ready to Drink Partner will be on hand with a cold soft drink.
Elsewhere this season Pandora, LFW Official Jewellery Partner will be offering styling advice alongside their first LFW designer collaboration with Ahluwalia’s show; we welcome Jingdong (JD.com) as the Official Asian Online Retailer to LFW, who are keen to engage with British fashion brands (more to come on this). This season Jingdong are showcasing 4 Chinese designers at their runway show on Sunday 15th September.
We are delighted The Londoner, LFW Official Hotel Partner, Ora, provider of LFW’s electric cars and Royal Salute with Harris Reed all return once again to celebrate British Fashion, and finally the British Icon, Hunter, LFW Official Outdoor Wear Partner will be celebrated at LFW Icons Party on Monday evening. And last by no means least, BFC Patron eBay will be celebrating fashion over the last 40 years at their ‘Endless Runway’ show, live streamed to consumers on the 12th September.