British Fashion Council Names its Fashion Forward Prize Winners

by | Jan 20, 2014 | Fashion, Industry News | 0 comments

The London based British Fashion Council (BFC) has just revealed the winners of its Fashion Forward prize for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 collections. The honor of the selection is sweetened by prize money for designers hoping to showcase their lines and gain access to potential financial support.

The nominees are chosen exclusively from the BFC’s New Generation (NEWGEN) program, which enlists and aids up-and-coming designers, and boasts prestigious graduates such as Alexander McQueen and Matthew Williamson.

This year’s winners include clothing designers Nasir Mazhar and Jackie JS Lee, and footwear designer Sophia Webster. Nasir Mazhar is best known for his inventive headwear, but he also launched his first full women’s and men’s collection in 2013. Lee started her label J. JS Lee in 2010, with minimalist, androgynous designs accented with feminine details. Sophia Webster worked as Nicholas Kirkwood‘s first-ever design assistant for two years, and he subsequently helped her launch her first collection. In addition, Webster has recently collaborated with J.Crew on shoe designs coming in Summer 2014.

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Sophia Webster Fall 2013, photo from The Terrier and Lobster

Lee has been given the honor of opening London Fashion Week with a show next month on Valentine’s Day. She will present at 9 a.m. in the BFC’s space at Somerset House. Mazhar will show in the same space at 4 p.m. later that day. Webster will show her footwear collection in Covent Garden on February 16th.

BFC Chief Executive Caroline Rush commented on this year’s prize winners: “Each of them has a very distinctive design aesthetic; their visions [are] very different from one another. However, together they very much share the limelight that is shining on London right now.”

Charlotte Bryant

Downtown Magazine