One of the biggest concerns amongst fashion designers is funding. It’s not easy to be a new designer in any country, and often before one has access to funding you have to prove yourself – without funding, which is a bit of a Catch-22 situation. Once you get to a certain level, though, it’s also very tough to progress because it takes a lot more funding and expertise to build a brand and establish an actual sustainable business. To help address this the British Fashion Council and Vogue have launched the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, a legacy project for the BFC’s 25th anniversary celebrations, and it a big funding award, worth £200,000.00!
The Fund is supported by Arcadia Group, Burberry, Clothing at Tesco, Debenhams, Harrods, House of Fraser, HSBC Commercial Bank, Jaeger / Aquascutum, Marks & Spencer, Paul Smith, TONI & GUY, Vogue and Westfield Shopping Towns.
Today the very first funding was awarded to Canadian designer Erdem Moralioglu. Erdem grew up in Montreal with a British mother and Turkish father. He left Canada to do his MA at the Royal College of Art, where graduated in 2003. He then went to New York to work with Diane von Furstenberg and in 2005 he returned to the UK to launch his ready-to-wear label.
Erdem has been not only been awarded £200,000 but also access to director level mentors. This may be his biggest award but not it’s not his first (or his last) – he won the Swarovski British Fashion Council Fashion Enterprise Award in 2007, BFC’s Fashion Forward in 2008, and in 2009, and Elle Magazine awarded Erdem the “Fashion Future Award”.
The aim of The Fund is to assist talented British designers with the potential for commercial growth to start making the transition from a developing creative business to a global fashion brand.
Erdem Moralioglu commented "I am thrilled to be the winner of the BFC Vogue Fashion Fund. It is an honor. The prize will help us to take our business to the next level. It is so integral for us to be showing in London and the support of the BFC and Vogue will allow us to grow our business internationally. It is such exciting time for us."
Erdem is now sold in more than 50 premiere department and specialty stores, such as Barney’s New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Harvey Nichols, Dover St. Market, Colette, Browns, Ikram, Beams, Theresa, Banner, Luisa via Roma and net-a-porter.com.
Independent charity Historic Royal Palaces is undertaking a £12 million major project to transform Kensington Palace by 2012. The Palace could have closed for this time, or they could have chosen to do something extraordinary. They chose to do something extraordinary.
Last year I went to The Palace with William Tempest, to a meeting with curators Joanna Marschner and Alexandra Kim and the team from theatre company Wild Works. This was the first of many meetings to come and Joanna spoke about an extraordinary idea, it was a meeting of possibilities – which is in many ways what the Palace is all about.
I couldn’t envision how it was all going to come together. I saw the start of several of the princesses’ rooms and unusual objects being created in the work rooms of Kensington Palace. Vivienne Westwood, William Tempest, Stephen Jones, Aminaka Wilmont, Boudicca and illustrator and set designer Echo Morgan all choose a room and a story, and with Wild Works they created “The Enchanted Palace”.
The Enchanted Palace opened on March 26th and I had the opportunity to visit the Palace at night. It truly was enchanting – it felt alive and atmospheric. You often feel the need to whisper like you’re in a museum but the Palace is not a museum – it’s a place where people actually live. It was home to William and Mary, George II, the young Queen Victoria, and Diana, Princess of Wales. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Duke and Duchess of Kent and Duke and Duchess of Gloucester presently live in the west wing of the Palace.
Some will say this is not an exhibition for traditionalists, but I think it is. The Palace and it’s stories are celebrated and told again in new ways so that they are not forgotten, and the stories told through this exhibition are definitely stories to be remembered.
William Tempest – Queen Victoria’s bedroom
Vivienne Westwood – Charlotte The Rebellious Princess
Boudicca -The Cupola Room
Wild Works Theatre company – Detectors keeping watch over The Palace. They are what makes the Palace come to life they are scurrying about with a ghost like quality playing musical instruments including a saw, watching over a missing princess and discussing time.
Aminaka Wilmont’s ‘dress of tears’ hangs above the bed in Queen Mary II
Council Chamber has two dresses, which belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret. The dresses are enclosed in glass cases surrounded by leafless trees.
I would like to be "in her shoes" – Daisy de Villeneuve is often spotted in fabulous Charlotte Olympia footwear and is always fashionable, with a certain sense of ease. Daisy’s latest solo exhibition “In Her Shoes” is at Liberty’s and it features 40 new works of art and also launches of Daisy’s own label D de V London.
Daisy’s first range of D de V London are luxury scented candles, named “Daisy Rose”. "It was a very captivating experience picking the scents, something I’ve never done before. There were so many different smells to choose from!"
Daisy’s favourite flower is the rose and all the scents are rooted in the rose family!
Liberty’s 4th floor
London March
29th until 25th April 2010.
Everyone has bought underwear but how many have returned underwear that has been worn? The very thought is disgusting. A US investigation conducted by The Today Show tells us that it’s possible that we are buying underwear that’s been worn and returned directly to the shop floor. Fortunately in the UK many shops don’t allow underwear to be returned – including Primark and American Apparel – which is a good thing! Wash your ‘new’ knickers before you wear them!
Normally I don’t bother looking around when I’m on the tube, far too many miserable commuting faces to be honest. I like to keep my head down, read the latest Stylist or just daydream of being chauffeured around London.
Yesterday was different; there I was just having a glance around at the suits and the people huffing and puffing, and suddenly a long dress caught my eye. Hardly profound I know but this girl just looked so brilliant in her long floor length floaty dress and hard black leather biker jacket I just needed to share it with you.
This is what I love about fashion, sure I’ve seen Peaches in a long House of Holland dress, and Keira Knightley was out earlier this week wearing her floor length Erdem number and yes they’re all in the shops and in the magazines but a floor length dress, in London during the day? No I couldn’t possibly but this one tube girl has unequivocally changed my mind, now I’m on the hunt for the perfect long dress, one that will work in London and not scream HOLIDAY. One that will look great with a leather or denim jacket, one that doesn’t require any accessories and one that won’t get mucky on these London streets.
After a long slog shopping online I think I may have just found it – look how pretty this ASOS Motel Rose print dress is – I love it. I need it. I have to have it. Right, now where is my credit card?
I'm a fashion stylist and consultant based in London. I'm Fashion Editor at Phoenix magazine, and I've styled for many musicians from Kate Nash to... (more)
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.jpg "The Enchanted Palace at Night")
.jpg "The Enchanted Palace at Night")
Normally I don’t bother looking around when I’m on the tube, far too many miserable commuting faces to be honest. I like to keep my head down, read the latest Stylist or just daydream of being chauffeured around London..jpg "The Long Dress")
