BFAs introduce New Establishment Award

The British Fashion Council will honour a new category of designers with its New Establishment Award at tonights British Fashion Awards.

By ELLE UK and NonePublished: 28 November 2011

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At what point does a young designer move from emerging to established? The tipping point could be a matter of securing the right stockists, exceeding an impressive sales threshold, or even enticing the right indoor-sunglass-wearing American editor to ones shows.

Whatever the criteria, its clear that a crop of London designers has moved beyond hot new thing territory and into London Fashion Week linchpin status. The BFC is acknowledging the achievement of three such designers with its New Establishment Award at tonights BFA ceremony.

Judges have nominated Christopher Kane, Erdem and Jonathan Saunders for the inaugural award. The BFC said judges highlighted these designers for their standout shows, strong business development, international press coverage and red-carpet credits.

Sophisticated and exciting, they have surpassed being emerging designers and are growing into dynamic businesses with a global reach and a sustained impact on the way modern women dress, the BFC said in a release.

Other categories in the annual awards ceremony are Designer of the Year, Best Designer Brand, Model of the Year and Emerging Talent in Ready to Wear and Accessories.

Read more about the BFAs here, and keep an eye on @ELLEUK on Twitter for updates from the awards ceremony tonight...

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