Men's Fashion News: London's Men's Fashion Week June has opened; Bianca Saunders is winner of the 2024 BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund

Excitement fills the air at the British Fashion Council (BFC) this weekend (June 7 - 9) as the men's edition of London Fashion Week (LFW) kicks off, inaugurated by Ambassador David Beckham (who recently announced a multi-year partnership with Hugo Boss AG for the German fashion company’s flagship brand Boss.)

This three-day London Men's Fashion Week, hosted at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), is celebrated as a cultural event with a diverse program of presentations, exhibitions, and public talks.

In celebration of LFW's 40th anniversary, this new format emphasises London's status as a global cultural hub and highlights its vibrant creative community. The aim for future LFW events in June is to create a platform for designer businesses and the diverse cultures and communities that have significantly contributed to the British fashion industry.

On Saturday, June 8th, LFW collaborator 1664 Blanc will present "Explorations in Blue" at the official LFW venue, offering the public access to exhibitions and a day of curated industry panel talks. This unique partnership is designed to attract a new audience to LFW, celebrate individuality, support creativity, and break down barriers within the industry.

This year's exhibitions are informed by three distinct cultures: Black culture, focusing on self-love as captured by photographer Stephen Akinyemi; South Asian culture, highlighting patterns, textiles, and craftsmanship as depicted by photographer Tami Aftab; and queer culture, spotlighting young creative voices from the trans+ community, as captured by photographer Dani D’Ingeo.

Rooted in London, the storytelling will highlight British brands and designers, along with personal stories from various communities within these cultures.  Referencing LFW40, a retrospective installation will celebrate LFW's global impact and its critical role at the intersection of culture.

The LFW digital platform, londonfashionweek.co.uk, serves as a year-round resource, continuously updated for retailers, media, and consumers to view and purchase collections. This platform will remain the Official Digital Hub, accessible to industry professionals and global fashion consumers alike, fostering collaboration and uniting fashion, culture, and technology.

The SS25 menswear buying season will be followed by the Pitti Uomo trade fair in Florence running June 11 to 14 and Milan Men’s Fashion Week from June 14 to 18, and then Paris Men’s Fashion Week where this season will see some major disruption due to the upcoming Summer Olympics. 

Back in London this week, BFC has announced Bianca Saunders as the winner of the 2024 BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund (BFC/GQDFF), an award established in 2013. Saunders will receive a £100,000 cash prize to support her business growth and contributions to both the British and global fashion ecosystems. In addition, she will benefit from high-level business mentoring and professional services offered pro bono by BFC Foundation Patrons, the Charity Trustees, Sheridans (legal services), Zedonk, the BFC Fashion Business Network, and individual mentors.

Bianca Saunders launched her menswear label in 2017 after graduating from The Royal College of Art. Her brand is known for merging tradition with modernity and blending masculine and feminine design elements. Saunders’ work draws from the rich social tapestry of Anglo-Caribbean relations, with a focus on her British-Caribbean heritage and the dynamic expression of self through clothing.

Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council, praised Saunders, stating, "We were extremely impressed with her incredible attention to detail and craftsmanship. Bianca has worked incredibly hard to position her brand at the forefront of menswear design today. It has been inspiring to watch her and her brand grow over the years. Congratulations to all the shortlisted designers who are a testament to the groundbreaking creative talent in the UK."

Adam Baidawi, Head of Editorial Content at British GQ and Deputy Global Editorial Director of GQ, expressed his delight, saying, "Bianca's radical and soulful vision for menswear is thrilling and impactful. She has built a whole new fashion perspective and united a global community of fans and creatives. Recognized in our GQ Men of the Year Honourees list last year, Bianca's impact on culture is undeniable. We are excited to celebrate one of Britain's most exciting menswear designers."

Bianca Saunders expressed her gratitude, stating, "I am incredibly honoured to win the BFC/GQDFF this year. Being a finalist among designers I admire and joining past winners who inspire me is a dream come true. The support from the BFC and GQ is invaluable for my team and me as we enter our next stage. This opportunity allows us to grow and develop into a sustainably thriving business with a lasting impact on our community. London is at the heart of our brand, and its vibrant creativity has helped us achieve global recognition. I am grateful to my amazing team and the incredible panel of judges. I am excited for the future!"

This year’s judging panel was chaired by Caroline Rush CBE and Adam Baidawi, and included fashion experts Angelo Mitakos, Fashion Editor at GQ; Murray Clark, Senior Style Editor at GQ; Tahir Basheer, Partner at Sheridans; and Nicholas Daley, Designer and Founder of Nicholas Daley. The other shortlisted designers for the 2024 prize were Bleue Burnham, LABRUM London, and Saul Nash.

Meanwhile, the BFC also announced the designers selected for the BFC NEWGEN 2024/25 cohort, who will receive financial grants, showcasing opportunities, and mentoring. The selected designers are: Aaron Esh, Ancuta Sarca, Charlie Constantinou, Chet Lo, Derrick, Di Pesta, Harri, Johanna Parv, Karoline Vitto, Kanza Asker, Leo Carlton, Lueder, Masha Popova, Paolo Carzana, Pauline Dujancourt, Sinéad O’Dwyer, Steve O Smith, The Winter House, Tolu Coker, and Yaku.

The BFC NEWGEN programme supports emerging designers by providing financial assistance, showcasing opportunities, and mentoring to help them build their business infrastructure and skills, crucial in the current post-pandemic, post-Brexit era.

British Fashion Council Launches China Partnerships Strategy in Shanghai with Ambassadorial President David Beckham

What has David Beckham been up to in Shanghai this week?
For one thing, he's been helping the British fashion industry to break into the vast Chinese market.
So Victoria is not the only one with global fashion credentials in the Beckham camp these days.

In his new role as the British Fashion Council’s (BFC) Ambassadorial President, David Beckham has launched the organisation’s China Partnerships Strategy supported by Stephanie Phair, BFC Chair; Dylan Jones, BFC Chair of Menswear and Caroline Rush, BFC Chief Executive.

The strategy was launched at a lunch attended by existing and potential new key partners, invited by the BFC and Mr Beckham. Guests included Xia Ding, President of JD International Fashion; Paul David Haouzi, President & Executive Director Trinity Group; Claire Chung, China General Manager Yoox Net-A-Porter, Patrick Tsang, Chairman Tsang Group and Judy Liu, Managing Director China Farfetch.

The lunch, hosted at The Middle House Shanghai confirmed £500,000 worth of deals including JD.com and Ruyi’s co-sponsorship of the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund, JD.com’s support for the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund and support from Britain’s Department of International Trade.  In addition to deals done, the BFC continue to explore the next stage of their innovative partnership with VIP.com and their long-term partnership with Fung Retailing Group.

The development of the BFC’s China Fashion Business Network is a key pillar of development for the next 12 months, and many attendees at the lunch pledged their support to assist the BFC create a network of credible partners across investment, licensing, manufacturing, property, communications and retail in China.  As Stephanie Phair, BFC Chair commented: “China has always been a key market for British designers, from emerging businesses to established brands. There is a growing appetite for British fashion in China."

David Beckham, BFC Ambassadorial President said: “Promoting the British fashion industry in China is an important part of my new role with the British Fashion Council. I hope that through events like today we are able to shine a light on the incredible creative talent we have in the UK and promote that talent on a global scale. The opportunity in China for connecting creatively and driving investment into British fashion is huge. Today we are able to show real commitment from Chinese businesses to future fashion leaders in the UK and in parallel, share our experience, knowledge and platforms with emerging Chinese designers.”

The BFC’s China Partnerships Strategy is focused on three key areas and solidifies the organisation’s commitment to making access to the Chinese market easier for British designer businesses: 

Support for emerging talent with mentoring on the Chinese market Partnerships of Fashion Weeks; stimulating demand through content and access, in relevant cases supplying that demand through retail partnerships in the UK and China.Network development of investors, creatives, influencers, media, retailers and high-net worth individuals to partner with British designer businesses on local growth strategies.

At the lunch hosted by BFC Ambassadorial President David Beckham at The Middle House Shanghai, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Dylan Jones, BFC Chair of Menswear and Editor of British GQ, Caroline Rush, BFC Chief Executive, Xia Ding, President of JD International Fashion and Francis Srun, Executive President of Ruyi International Group that confirms funding, mentorship and additional opportunities to develop partnerships for the shortlisted designers into China.

Xia Ding, President of JD International Fashion said: “The UK is now increasingly recognized by Chinese people as a global fashion centre and JD is proud to serve as the most convenient channel for British designers to reach China’s many discerning fashion consumers.”

Francis Srun, Executive President of Ruyi International Group commented: “Aside from a range of joint initiatives in offline retail and e-commerce, Ruyi’s extensive collection of global brands are already working closely with JD and we are confident that this network will give a strong boost to designers supported by the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund.”

The BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund is the UK’s biggest menswear prize for emerging talent.  The prize was established in September 2013 following the success of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund providing one designer with a £150,000 grant to provide necessary infrastructure to take them to the next stage of their business and significant value in kind services as part of a bespoke, high level mentoring support programme over a twelve-month period.

Craig Green for Moncler, unveiled in Milan for 2018-19.

Dylan Jones, BFC Menswear Chair and Editor of British GQ, commented: “We are delighted to re-instate the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund thanks to JD.com Inc. and Ruyi who have committed to two years of support for our brilliant emerging menswear designers.

The last British designer to win the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund was Craig Green, a talent and business that has gone from strength to strength.”