The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced British label Wales Bonner as the winner of this year’s BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. The fund will provide the designer with a bespoke, high level mentoring support programme over 12 months as well as a £200,000 cash prize to provide necessary infrastructure to take to the next stage in business. “Bonner is a huge creative talent and her label Wales Bonner has a unique vision, which really relates to the now. Her diverse perspective and boundary breaking design is what we need more of within the industry. I look forward to seeing how this support propels her further,” Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue and chair of the Fund Committee said. Awake Mode, Alighieri, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, David Koma, Neous, Rejina Pyo and Wales Bonner were all shortlisted for the 2019 prize and were invited to present their collections and business plan to the panel. All shortlisted designers received a full mentoring programme through the BFC’s Business Support team, with access to funders and industry experts which this year included a roundtable hosted by Paul Smith. Award-winning law firm Mishcon de Reya is providing pro-bono legal advice to the finalists and winner. Chaired by Enninful, the judging committee was made up of representatives from businesses who support the Fund and industry experts: Caroline Rush CBE, British Fashion Council; Erdem Moralioglu, ERDEM; Gemma Metheringham, LABEL/MIX; Harlan Bratcher, JD.com, Inc.; Jo Ellison, Financial Times; Maria Hatzistefanis, Rodial; Rod Manley, Burberry; Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent & Vogue Runway; Paul Price, Topshop and Xia Ding, JD.com, Inc. “Congratulations to all the shortlisted designers and particularly Grace Wales Bonner on receiving this year’s BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. Wales Bonner is one of the most promising creatives in the world of fashion right now. Her hard work and uncompromising vision have turned her label into an internationally acclaimed British brand and encouraged the rise of a new wave of young British creatives behind her. The judging panel was impressed by her exceptional talent for storytelling and craftmanship and we look forward to seeing her grow,” Caroline Rush, chief executive, British Fashion Council, said. 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. The 2019 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund winner will receive a print by fashion artist David Downton.
