Looking back at 15 Years of the BFC under Caroline Rush

Next year, Caroline Rush will officially step down from her role as chief executive officer of the British Fashion Council (BFC), bringing to an end a 15 year run at the helm of the UK’s leading fashion industry non-profit. The announcement of her departure comes at a time of great evolution at the organisation, which has set about repositioning itself as a “catalyst for change” as it looks to help revive the local industry following a tumultuous period.

A day after her plans to exit were revealed, we look back at Rush’s career at the helm of the BFC, from the launch of various charitable initiatives to her most recent work advising the new UK government.

2009: Caroline Rush joins the BFC

While Rush was first appointed to the BFC in 2009, she already had a solid relationship with the council prior, having previously served as a consultant for London Fashion Week (LFW) in 1998. She continued this collaboration under her own PR firm Crush Communications, launched in 2002, before eventually assuming the role of CEO for the BFC. At the time of her appointment, Rush had been tasked with restructuring both LFW and the BFC’s British Fashion Awards (now only known as the Fashion Awards).

Newgen Men

One of the first changes under the guidance of Rush was the introduction of Newgen Men, a menswear-dedicated platform that expanded on the already existing Newgen programme that had previously been focused on womenswear.

Headonism

Before merging with the Newgen programme, which expanded to involve the accessory category, BFC Headonism had been launched during the council’s 25 year anniversary to celebrate British milliners. Those selected went on to receive mentoring from Stephen Jones OBE, who also curated the programme.

2011: BFC Fashion Trust founded

The BFC Fashion Trust was formed as an amalgamation of all of the BFC’s charitable initiatives, bringing them under one umbrella in order to more seamlessly support selected designers. According to the BFC, the trust has awarded almost three million pounds to 57 designers to promote growth and fund the implementation of practical solutions. Among those already awarded are Christopher Kane, David Koma, Molly Goddard, Rejina Pyo and Roksanda.

2012: London Fashion Week Men’s launches

One of the most notable developments in 2012 was the creation of London Collections: Men (which has since undergone rebranding: firstly, as London Fashion Week Men’s and, most recently, LFW: June). Prior to this, menswear collections had been shown in a dedicated slot on the final day of LFW, yet this marked the first time menswear became a bi-annual, standalone project.

Rock Vault

Rock Vault was another initiative that eventually came under the wing of the Newgen scheme. Prior to this, however, it began as a platform for emerging jewellery designers, created to promote and raise the international profile of select brands on an annual basis.

Britain Creates

This year also saw the BFC expand its horizons into different cultural sectors. Via the Britain Creates project, the council sought out to establish relationships between fashion designers and visual arts, uplifting a curation of artworks during the London 2012 Festival. This was part of her work with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

2013: Introduction to BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund

Now a long-standing staple of the council, the BFC/GQ Designers Menswear Fund built on past efforts to further support emerging British menswear businesses. Those selected for the yearly accolade receive a 12-month mentorship and a grant to help aid the future growth of their brand. Since its inception, the winners of the fund have included Bianca Saunders, Ahluwalia, Craig Green and Wales Bonner, among others.

2014: Rush founds the Fashion Forum

Rush, together with Natalie Massenet and Jonathan Goodwin, was behind the founding of the Fashion Forum, a think tank with the mission of opening up conversations about issues in the wider UK fashion sector. At the inaugural event, held in Syon House, over 180 guests were in attendance, coming together to discuss investments, financing and growth potential.

BFC Contemporary

The BFC and Ebay partnered on the formation of BFC Contemporary, an initiative that set out to bolster the presence of the UK’s contemporary ready-to-wear market by supporting designers in this category. At the time, Rush said the project could help in accelerating “very viable fashion businesses” that marked a “new wave in British contemporary design”.

2015: Rush awarded CBE

Rush was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours, recognising her for her services to the fashion industry.

Fashion Futures Awards launch

Together with Decoded Fashion, the BFC launched the Fashion Futures Awards, celebrating “how the fashion industry and retail industries are evolving through tech based ideas, solutions and tools”. The awards seemed to come to a halt by 2018, with 2017 being the last year for which winners were announced.

2016: BFC sets out to support educational initiatives

In an attempt to further bridge the gap between fashion and art, the BFC Fashion Arts Foundation, for which Rush was a trustee, and the Royal Academy Schools formed the Fashion Arts Commission project, which paired RA Schools with Newgen designers. At the time, Rush said the project was about “creating inspiring and educational content as well as generating funds for future artists and designers”.

Educational investments

A focus on education continued into the year with the launch of the Fashion Apprenticeship Standard alongside the University of the Arts London, aiming to create further career opportunities in the fashion sector. Its launch followed the BFC’s pledge to raise 10 million pounds over the next years to invest in and attract young design talent to study in London.

2017: Fashion Week takes on new structure

Experimentation into the format of LFW continued into 2017, when the BFC opted to bring LFW, LFW Festival and LFW Men’s under one location at The Store Studios in London. With this, an event formerly known as London Fashion Weekend became London Fashion Week Festival, and was designed to give the public an opportunity to attend in either its February or September edition. Rush said that the move reinforced “offering direct to consumer experiences”. It was here that it became clear that Rush was intending to formulate LFW as a “city-wide celebration”, expanding fashion week beyond the confines of its standard schedule, which it has now become known for.

Newgen’s new face

Having now combined menswear and womenswear designers, Newgen seemed to take what was to be almost its final form in 2017. It was then that the platform began to be awarded annually instead of seasonally in efforts to streamline the support offered to recipients.

China ties

While the BFC and JD.com have recently renewed their partnership this season, the duo’s relationship actually spans back to 2017, when the Chinese e-commerce giant first stepped in as a supporter of the BFC/Vogue Fashion Designer Fund. Rush underlined the importance of the Chinese market for British designers, noting that the partnership would help them to penetrate the often tricky region.

Models First initiative

On the back of the establishment of the British Fashion Model Agency Association, the BFC launched its Models First initiative, which set about addressing industry challenges and outlining the best practices for agencies to follow.

2018: Queen Elizabeth II Award

The inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design was introduced in February 2018, with Richard Quinn named as the first recipient. It marked the first time the late Queen Elizabeth had visited LFW, and came following Her Majesty’s 90th birthday, after which it was decided the award would be created to recognise emerging British fashion talent.

BFC becomes fashion visa assessor

Brexit had created obstacles for the UK fashion industry that the BFC sought to remove. Among its efforts, Rush established a partnership with the Arts Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to expand the Exceptional Talent Tier 1 visa for fashion industry applicants. Those successful would be granted five years in the UK, after which they could expand their stay upon display of talent.

2019: BFC moves towards membership organisation

In 2019, Rush announced that the BFC was to become a membership organisation as part of a mission to encourage collaboration and inclusivity. BFC Membership was introduced and allowed designers to opt in to an annual membership subscription in differing schemes depending on their brand’s size. After this, they were invited to contribute to various events and access other benefits via a members website, including reduced LFW fees.

BFC Foundation is created

The BFC Foundation was formed as part of the merger between two charities previously launched by Rush. The charitable organisation is focused on education and grant-giving for British fashion talent, underlining the overarching mission of the BFC. Since its founding, the foundation has reportedly awarded 4.3 million pounds to support designers.

Institute of Positive Fashion

The BFC officially launched its Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) mid-2019, established to be an industry-wide coalition with the goal of outlining industry standards for the creation of green businesses. The BFC said it was hoping to create an industry blueprint that could accelerate the progress of sustainability in all areas.

2020: The pandemic changes fashion’s course

In response to the pandemic, the BFC began to shift its focus to uplifting designers and fashion freelancers struggling in the backdrop of the crisis. The council launched its Coronavirus Relief Fund with the goal of raising 50 million pounds. An initial one million pounds was funnelled into businesses as an emergency fund, taken from the support grants that would usually have been awarded at the beginning of the year.

LFW goes digital and gender neutral

Looking towards a digitally-enhanced LFW in June 2020, Rush said that the pandemic was leading “us all to reflect more poignantly on the society we live in and how we want to live our lives and build businesses”. It was here that she broached the idea of a “cultural fashion week platform” that was fully digital, with the added element of being entirely gender neutral.

D&I Steering Committee

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement that gripped the US mid-2020, Rush said the BFC would be doubling down on efforts to tackle systemic racism. Part of this came in the form of a ‘Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee’, which was established as part of the IPF and set out to ensure accountability and best practices were integrated into all aspects of business.

2021: BFC Changemakers Prize launches

BFC Changemakers Prize is an initiative aiming to celebrate the “unsung stars” of the fashion industry. For the first edition, recipients were chosen on the basis of mirroring one of three pillars of the IPF: Environment, People or Craftsmanship, and Community. The winners of the inaugural prizes were Glass Onion founder John Hickling, hairstylist Cyndia Harvey and London Embroidery Studio owner Andrew Kenny, who each received 7,500 pounds and a mentoring package.

Inaugural IPF Forum

Expanding on the efforts of the IPF, a forum for the institute was introduced as a platform to put forth visionary keynote speakers, practical workshops and panel discussions all with the mission of instilling a sense of duty and activism among the audience.

Circular Fashion Ecosystem

The IPF was also responsible for the development of the ‘Circular Fashion Ecosystem’ white paper, which is now used globally as a tool aiming to push forward circularity and decarbonisation.

2022: Venrex BFC Fashion I Fund introduced

London-based venture capital firm Venrex teamed up with the BFC to launch an investment fund specifically dedicated to funding the fashion sector and diversifying its revenue streams. The initial recipients were Intimately, Vollebak and Digital Village, to which the BFC acted as a facilitator in return for fees and a portion of the carry to then reinvest back into fashion education and talent programmes.

Circular Fashion Fund

Resale marketplace Ebay became a new patron for the BFC, and with it launched the first Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund, awarding 100,000 pounds to small businesses with circular fashion solutions. Rental app By Rotation was among the first recipients.

80 million pound government funding

During a champagne reception, former prime minister Boris Johnson pledged to funnel 80 million pounds in government funding into a 10-year programme to push the UK towards a circular fashion model. The scheme was reportedly to be led under the direction of the BFC’s IFP.

2023: Restrategising the BFC

It was around this period that it became more clear that LFW was flailing in the shadow of its more fleshed out Paris and Milan counterparts. With this in mind, Rush and the BFC’s then freshly appointed chair, David Pemsel, put their heads together to strategise. It was here that plans to reposition the BFC as a “catalyst of change” were unveiled, pivoting the organisation towards a more commercial and cultural focus, while utilising the IPF as a platform to aid businesses in increasing their sustainability efforts.

Rush then underlined a wider plan to reevaluate the structure of fashion week, moving LFW into an ongoing “transition phase”. This resulted in halting LFW’s January edition, once dedicated to men, and instead creating the now in place LFW June, a shorter rendition of the menswear fashion week that incorporated business that typically strayed from the calendar, including Savile Row tailors. The Fashion Awards were also due for a change, with Rush stating that the ceremony was to further uplift British designers over international names.

Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN)

Under the guidance of the BFC, UKFT and UKRI, CFIN sits within the scope of the IPF with the mission of bringing together industry innovators to formulate an action-led roadmap to guide the industry towards a circular fashion economy. Rush was announced as the co-chair of the network alongside UKFT chief executive Adam Mansell.

2024: BFC launches UK Fashion DEI report

A new report by the BFC launched early 2024, the UK Fashion DEI report, was described by the organisation as the “first comprehensive report on diversity, equity and inclusion in the fashion industry in the UK”. In it, despite noting there had been a positive shift in fashion’s persona over the past 10 years, there was still more that needed to be done. Only 9 percent of executive and board positions in the UK fashion industry, for example, were held by people of colour, and 39 percent by women. Rush said the report presented a “wake up call for all of us”, adding that it was “critical for brands to align their external messaging and internal practices” in relation to DEI goals.

#FashionsFuture plan

One of Rush’s most recent achievements was spearheading the development of ‘#FashionsFuture’, a five-point plan for the government in which key priorities and potential solutions for investing in the fashion industry were outlined.