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The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced the 2024/25 recipients of BFC Newgen, its incubator scheme for emerging talent.
New participants include two recent alumni of London talent incubator Fashion East: functional womenswear label Johanna Parv; and size-inclusive designer Karoline Vitto, who returns to London following her Milan debut for SS24, where she showed with support from Dolce Gabbana (she took a pause for AW24).
Other additions include buzzy new designer Steve O Smith, who recently dressed Eddie Redmayne for the Met Gala; genderless outerwear designer and 2023 LVMH Prize semi-finalist Charlie Constantinou; women’s knitwear designer Pauline Dujancourt; and avant-garde genderless designer Yaku (who recently won Scandinavia’s Challenge the Fabric award).
Since its launch in 1993, Newgen has supported designers including Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Grace Wales Bonner, Kim Jones, Bianca Saunders and Jonathan Anderson. Recipients are chosen by a select committee of industry leaders, featuring Vogue chief fashion critic Sarah Mower MBE; Stavros Karelis, founder of Machine-A; Hetty Mahlich, editor of ShowStudio; Anita Chhiba, creative director of Diet Paratha; and Roksanda Ilinčić, founder and creative director of Roksanda.
Returning participants this year include Aaron Esh, Ancuta Sarca, Chet Lo, Derrick, Di Petsa, Harri, Kazna Asker, Leo Carlton, Masha Popova, Paolo Carzana, Sinéad O’Dwyer, The Winter House and Tolu Coker.
As recent brand closures suggest, it’s an extremely challenging time to build and maintain a fashion brand. Newgen offers designers financial grants and individual mentoring and training sessions to assist them as they develop their business infrastructure and skills. The BFC also provides pro-bono legal services from firm DLA Piper, and tax and accounting support from advisory RSM.
“Support for young designers feels more crucial than ever right now, especially in the midst of the cost of living crisis, let alone the challenges the fashion industry is facing,” says committee member Chhiba. “The continued and new assistance Newgen offers each year will forever remain an important contribution to not only each recipient’s future, but also for British fashion and culture.”
Earlier this week, the BFC announced high street fashion label Pull&Bear as Newgen’s principal partner. The brand will help provide financial support and mentorship for the recipients as well as a “platform for storytelling” through its new experiential vertical ‘Canvas for Creativity’, telling the designers’ stories on Pull&Bear’s social and retail channels, the BFC says.
Newgen also assists designers in conceiving presentations or shows, helping with the venue and the production via London Fashion Week Showspace. The scheme is supported by the BFC Designer Initiatives Programme and the BFC Newgen committee, led by Mower, who is also BFC ambassador for emerging talent.
Correction: This article has been updated to remove an incorrect reference to Standing Ground being a Newgen recipient.
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