CFE reveals names on latest Fashion Pioneer Programme

Fashion business incubator, The Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE), has revealed the latest roster of designers to join its Fashion Pioneer Programme. 

NEWGEN designer Sadie Williams, Fashion Scout Merit Award winner ROBERTS | WOOD along with denim brand Kéji, Fashion East menswear designer Charles Jeffery and luxury womenswear labels R-O-K-H and This is uniform have all been granted a place on the six-month programme, which is designed to offer brands a wide range of business support.

Katie Roberts-Wood, founder of ROBERTS | WOOD said the programme, which offers advice and mentorship, would give her brand the "the tools it needs to navigate the complex and challenging early stages of developing my brand.”

While Jenna Young of This is Uniform said: "I think within the current, fluctuating fashion landscape, it is important to create a reactive business which can adapt and change to best suit its environment. Exploring alternative methods of running a fashion business and thinking outside of the box in terms of models and routes to market is something which I know the CFE will be supporting me with."

The Centre for Fashion Enterprise has been running for 13 years and has helped launch the careers of Erdem, Peter Pilotto, Mary Katrantzou, Marques Almeida, Thomas Tait and Craig Green among others. It is located within the University of the Arts London it has been integral to London College of Fashion since 2003.

Meet the Fashion Pioneers:

Sadie Williams

Sadie Williams

Sadie Williams is a Fashion and Textile Designer, born and based in London. Since graduating from the Central Saint Martins MA Fashion course in 2013, she went on to become one of Selfridges "Bright Young Things" and was included in "Designs of the Year Exhibition 2014" at the Design Museum in London, alongside Raf Simons for Dior, Rick Owens and Prada.

She has worked for designers including JW Anderson, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Katie Hillier and many fashion stylists over the years. Following on from successful collaborations with Barbie and & Other Stories, she went on to start her own label debuting in AW15.

With support from NEWGEN, she continues to showcase at LFW, creating graphic and tactile work that capitalizes on her strengths in print & textile innovation.

Katie Roberts-Wood

Katie Roberts-Wood

ROBERTS | WOOD was founded in 2015 by London-based designer Katie Roberts-Wood following her graduation from the Royal College of Art, where she studied the Womenswear MA course. Her MA graduate collection, "SYNCH", was awarded the International Talent Support "Collection of the Year Award" as well as the Vogue Talents Award for the designer’s innovative construction techniques and bold aesthetic.

For ROBERTS | WOOD, a collection represents a crystallised moment in the evolutionary design process; a pause in the continual exploration of themes such as repetition, science, nature and mathematical patterns, heavily influenced by her time studying medicine as her undergraduate degree.

For AW16, ROBERTS | WOOD continues to explore the signature elements of intense and innovative construction, combined with luxury and high-concept design. Following an overwhelming response to the AW16 collection in Paris, where ROBERTS | WOOD showed with D/ARK Concept during Paris Fashion Week, the brand will be stocked Internationally through 11 stockists.

Katie Green

KÉJI

KÉJI is a womenswear collection, launched in London for Autumn / Winter 2015. KÉJI is designed by Hong Kong native Katie Green, who has worked in London for 8 years at Net-A-Porter and LOVE, trained in design and apprenticed in bespoke tailoring.

Coming from four generations of Hong Kong heritage, Katie is always influenced by both an Asian aesthetic, and the brand’s London home. In seeking to create a collection of pieces that would "slow down" the fast pace of fashion and have a perennial place in women’s wardrobes, elevated denim and daywear create the core of the collection.

Charles Jeffrey

Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY

Scottish Born Charles Jeffrey graduated from the MA fashion course at Central St Martins in 2015. Jeffrey’s take on menswear reflects his works as an illustrator and his club night LOVERBOY (held in VF Dalston where he is supported with a space to create his work). Here he collaborates with artists, photographers and musicians to then use as a source of inspiration and promote a universe for his work to thrive in.

Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY is a part of Fashion East’s MAN SS17.

Rok Hwang

R-O-K-H

R-O-K-H was founded by Rok Hwang in 2015, a former ready-to-wear designer at Céline under Phoebe Philo's direction. Rok Hwang also freelanced at Louis Vuitton and Chloé for multiple projects and he was the winner of 2010 MA womenswear from Central Saint Martins.

R-O-K-H reflects a sense of odd and sensual elegance with raw attitude, focusing on designs that will also adapt into timeless classic pieces. The idea is to produce timeless pieces that can be paired with a woman's existing garments, blending in with a sense of familiarity but uniqueness that will last through seasons.

Jenna Young

This is the Uniform

This Is The Uniform is a luxury womenswear brand based in London. The brand explores the systems and rules of dress, placing particular emphasis on ideas of stereotype, perception and context. Through the dissection and re-appropriation of cult image, super trends, urban tribes and subcultures, This Is The Uniform creates a new sense of belonging.

Though a conceptual brand at the fore, focus is also heavily placed on quality, functionality and fit, each piece designed and manufactured in Great Britain. This Is The Uniform critically examines fashion while still valuing its place within it, creating something unique and challenging as a result.

This Is The Uniform was launched by Jenna Young, a graduate of Goldsmiths University, in 2013. The brands initial collection launched what was to be the beginning of a strongly identifiable label with a slick, urban aesthetic that is highly regarded by industry professionals and customers alike. Each consecutive season has built upon the success of the last, and now in its seventh season, the brand has built up a loyal following of clients and collaborators worldwide.