BFC and Vogue reveal Fashion Fund shortlist

The British Fashion Council (BFC) and Vogue have revealed the designers in the running for this year's £200,000 Fashion Fund. In a departure from the previous format where one winner was chosen, this year there will be up to three winners.

Those in contention for the fund, which aims to help designers who are at a pivotal stage in their development, are: Huishan Zhang, Mother of Pearl, Osman, palmer//harding, Shrimps, Sophie Hulme and Toogood.

Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said the shortlist represented the "breadth of fashion talent in this country". She added: "Any one of them will be a worthy recipient of funding that is specifically designed to help their business in a very targeted way so that it can grow into a greater role on the global fashion stage. I congratulate all of the shortlisted designers for the tenacious creativity that has got them to this point."

The winners will be chosen by a panel that includes BFC ambassador Samantha Cameron, Topshop managing director Mary Homer, LABEL creative director Gemma Metheringham, Burberry CMO Sarah Manley, Browns founder Joan Burstein CBE, Harrods chief merchant Helen David and the BFC CEO Caroline Rush CBE.

"We are so fortunate to have an amazing pool of talent in London and this year’s shortlist is no exception. All the designers have demonstrated incredible talent and strong business skills. I believe they all have the potential to become the UK’s next global brands and the new format of the Fund will help them achieve that goal," said Rush.

The shortlist will be interviewed by the judging committee on 2 February with the winners announced on 4 April. Previous winners of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund include Christopher Kane, Erdem, Mary Katrantzou, Nicholas Kirkwood, Peter Pilotto and Sophia Webster.