The Nine Winners of the BFC Fashion Trust 2015

The Fashion Trust Initiative, launched in 2011, is a generous support scheme through which talented British designers are given helpful mentoring and financial grants in order to promote creativity and business in fashion and the UK as a whole.

This year’s nine recipients are David Koma, Holly Fulton, Emilia Wickstead, Mother of Pearl, Palmer//Harding, Marios Schwab, Prism, Sibling and Sophia Webster, who have received nearly £300,000 worth of grants between them. The event was celebrated in style with a lawn party in London hosted by Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council.

She commented, ”The generous support from the BFC Fashion Trust will see important financial awards go to nine of the UK’s talented designers. Their fashion labels have shown exciting growth and both individually and collectively their businesses reinforce the UK’s reputation for creative strength.”

The 2015 Fashion Trust scheme's recipients and co-chairs at lawn party in London.

Designer and 2015 recipient of Fashion Trust award, Holly Fulton, remarked on the importance of the strategic and tailored support offered by the BFC initiative, which considers each designer and its business goals individually.

The BFC seized the opportunity to announce the launch of the Graduate Traineeship Programme (in experimental mode over the past year). The scheme offers BA and MA design graduates a chance to apply for twelve-month placements with some of London Fashion Week’s designers. Last year, two students from the Royal College of Art were placed within Roksanda Ilincic and Erdem’s businesses.

Previous beneficiaries of the BFC Fashion Trust initiative have included Industry members Jonathan Saunders and Mary Katrantzou as well as Kering-owned Christopher Kane.