BFC Foundation announces names of 2022 grant recipients

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced the names of designers and students that will be receiving funds and grants as part of the BFC Foundation’s mission to support the British fashion industry.

Payment provider Clearpay, London Fashion Week’s principal partner, is continuing its support of the programme for its second year, with BFC also thanking Chanel and Dior Men for their additional partnership.

BFC Newgen, which supports emerging talent in global, high-end fashion brands, will continue to offer financial support, showcasing opportunities and mentoring to selected designers. This year, 2022/23, the BFC has selected 23 designers to be part of the programme, including the likes of Ahluwalia, Chet Lo, Nensi Dojaka and Robyn Lynch. The winner of The Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ award, Saul Nash, announced May 4, will also be a recipient for the programme.

Set with the goal of empowering businesses through positive growth, the foundation revealed the shortlisted designers of the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund to be Clothsurgeon, LYPH, Nicholas Daley and Olubiyi Thomas. The winner will be announced during London Fashion Week in June 2022.

“The UK has a reputation of being the leading launchpad for innovative and creative talent…”

Additionally, Richard Quinn has been announced as the winner of the 2022 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, selected from a shortlist of eight designers. Quinn will receive a 200,000 pound cash prize and will participate in a mentoring programme, with further access to the BFC network and legal services.

As part of the BFC’s grants to empower growth, the BFC Fashion Trust has further selected seven designers to take part in the initiative this year, which offers business support and pro-bono legal services. Completedworks, E.L.V. Denim, Neous, Richard Malone, Supriya Lele, Tove and Wales Bonner have been revealed as those to take part in the programme, each set to follow a defined project to be presented within a set period.

“The UK has a reputation of being the leading launchpad for innovative and creative talent, mainly due to its world-leading universities for fashion education,” said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the BFC, in a release.

Rush continued: “This year’s list of designers truly showcases London’s reputation as a global capital for the creative industries, and we are delighted to be able to help so many of them through the BFC Foundation. Congratulations to all the designers and a big thank you to all the funders, judges, and mentors for making the UK’s talent support network one of the most robust in the global market.”

Next to the announcement, the BFC also said it had remitted over 1.3 million pounds in funds to designers and scholars in the financial year 2021/22. Over 930,00 pounds was paid by the foundation as part of its grant giving initiatives and over 400,000 pounds was paid to designers through brand partnership collaborations.