The British Fashion Council (BFC) is delighted to announce a new partnership with luxury retailer Browns to support its NEWGEN initiative. NEWGEN is the BFC’s internationally-celebrated talent identification scheme that supports the very best emerging talent and aims to build global, high end fashion brands of the future. The scheme offers designers financial support, showcasing opportunities and the time and support to hone in on critical business skills to futureproof their businesses. The BFC, with support from the NEWGEN committee, delivers individual mentoring and business training sessions to assist the designers as they develop their business infrastructure and skills. NEWGEN designers are identified by their creativity, strong design aesthetic and point of difference. Browns as one of many NEWGEN partners will strengthen the support system for young designers by helping to fund the scheme, sitting on the NEWGEN judging panel and providing key business and retail expertise through mentoring programmes.
NEWGEN sponsorship is awarded annually to both womenswear and menswear designers who show at either London Fashion Week or London Fashion Week Men’s. From 2018, NEWGEN will also encompass accessories, including all categories across shoes, bags, hats, jewellery and fine jewellery.
Caroline Rush, CEO British Fashion Council commented: “I am delighted to welcome Browns as one of the partners of NEWGEN and look forward to working together, benefitting from their many years of expertise and reputation as a home for new talent; to help support our exceptional NEWGEN designers to build their labels into future international brands.”
Holli Rogers, CEO Browns said, "We are thrilled to be partnering with the BFC on NEWGEN and upholding the Browns legacy of championing new talent and innovation. Through partnerships like this, we will continue to demonstrate the Browns ethos and we look forward to working closely with the BFC and the designers to build out meaningful initiatives with support and mentorship at the heart."
Heralded as an incubator for new talent, London luxury retailer Browns has been a fixture on the London scene since 1970 and cements its support of new designers through this new partnership with the BFC and its NEWGEN initiative.
With the search for creativity, innovation and originality defining the Browns spirit, the BFC’s NEWGEN initiative, aligns with the ethos of which Browns was founded upon and continues today with its cool to be kind message. Formally spearheaded by Joan Burnstein this continues to be championed by CEO Holli Rogers, who joined the retailer in 2015. The first to introduce brands such as Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein to the UK, Mrs B (as she is affectionally known) also discovered home grown talents like Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, championing them in a way that no one else could. This unique edit and legacy is how Browns continues to operate today working with new talent from all corners of the globe including NEWGEN local talent such as Supriya Lele and Paria Farzaneh who launched into Browns this past year. Browns currently has two boutiques in London – iconic South Molton Street and Browns East in Shoreditch which opened in October 2017.
2018/19 NEWGEN recipients are; A-COLD-WALL*, Alighieri, Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY, Halpern, ISOSCELES Lingerie, Kiko Kostadinov, Liam Hodges, Matty Bovan, Nicholas Daley, Paula Knorr, Per Götesson, Phoebe English, Richard Malone, Richard Quinn, Supriya Lele, The Season Hats, WALES BONNER & NEWGEN ONES TO WATCH; Bianca Saunders & paria/ FARZANEH.
The British Fashion Council’s design support schemes now fall under our charity BFCVDFF Ltd charity 1139079.
This charity receives funds from various partners and individuals to support our designer support schemes.
The BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund is part of the BFC’s business support initiatives aimed at supporting British designers and businesses from school level to emerging talent and future fashion start-ups through to new establishment and global brands.
Previous winners of the Fund include Christopher Kane, Erdem, Mary Katrantzou, Molly Goddard, Mother of Pearl, Nicholas Kirkwood, palmer//harding, Peter Pilotto and Sophia Webster.