Aspiring designers shouldn’t turn down the opportunities that the high street market can offer, says Sophie McElligott of The British Fashion Council.
Together with eBay, they are starting an initiative called BFC Contemporary aimed to help young professionals build a satisfying career by widening their options. Of course, what fashion designer doesn’t dream of seeing their creations on runway models or dressing the A-list celebrities in their haute couture gowns? For most who are working on their degree in fashion design, it is ‘go big or go home’. But if you think about it, dressing regular people could be just as rewarding, suggests BFC.
“We pride ourselves on young creatives showing extravagant catwalk collections, and they are brilliant, but some designers want to dress more people and to do it more quickly” Sophie McElligot explained. The projects will offer a mentoring programme, with a focus on view to high-street success. Ready-to-wear designers such as Alexis Barrell, Georgia Harding, Paper London, Zoë Jordan and sunglasses and swimwear brand Prism are expected to join the programme for the first season. As a part of this initiative, designers will be given a chance to create a limited edition collection that will later be presented within a specialist BFC Contemporary Shop on eBay, at Somerset House at the BFC’s London Fashion Week pop-up shop.
