Latest news with #CarolineRush
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
In Strategic Update, New BFC Chief Executive Laura Weir Vows to Help British Designers Scale
LONDON – Some 77 days after joining the British Fashion Council as chief executive officer, Laura Weir unveiled a string of major strategic updates in a bid to revitalize the fashion economy for British designers in the U.K. and globally. Speaking at the BFC annual summer gathering at the Serpentine Pavilion, designed this year by Marina Tabassum, Weir said she intends to build on the 'great foundations' of the BFC laid by her predecessors, notably Caroline Rush, former chief executive officer for over 15 years. More from WWD Kate Middleton Wears Victoria Beckham for Queen Elizabeth II British Design Award London Fashion Week Axes June Edition, Doubles Down Showroom Support in Paris Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Is the British Fashion Council's First Hospitality Patron She vowed to continue to 'put designers at the heart, to make mentoring and business skills central to our offer, and to ensure our funding models result in long-term impact for the British creative economy.' At the same time, Weir acknowledged that London is losing design talent to Paris, Milan and Berlin because of a lack of infrastructure to support the designers to make, create, show and, importantly, to scale in this country. 'It is time to reset,' said Weir, as she unveiled a series of updates taking place from September. First of all, the BFC will waive London Fashion Week fees for designer members showing physically in September. Historically, a brand needs to pay a listing fee to be shown as part of the LFW official calendar. Still, to maintain a BFC member status, a brand needs to pay between 500 pounds to 10,000 pounds a year, depending on one's annual turnover. Weir also confirmed that the BFC will increase scholarship funding and has secured a three-year funding commitment from the British government department for Culture, Media and Sport to the BFC Newgen program. As reported, the department for Culture, Media and Sport in January initially committed an additional 1 million pounds in funding for the next year. The budget allocated to the guest program this fall will be doubled as well in order to bring in more international press and buyers to come to London to meet the designers in person. Weir also stressed that the BFC should not be solely London-centric. In a bid to decentralize and recognize nationwide excellence, and make the U.K. accessible to the world, the BFC is launching a creative education program called the Fashion Assembly. Conceived by Sarah Mower, the BFC's ambassador for emerging talent, the program will take designers back to their old schools across the country, to let young people outside of London envision themselves in this industry in the future. Formerly executive creative director at Selfridges, Weir joined the BFC on April 28. Previously, she held various positions at ES Magazine, Elle UK, and Drapers. 'As I take on this role, I'm aware that the task ahead is herculean. I took this job because I care about the creative and commercial success of British fashion, and I won't rest until my tenure has had a positive impact on its global reputation,' she said. Over the past 10 weeks she's had many conversations with the London creative industry and met with government representatives from Hong Kong, India and the Middle East. 'What strikes me is how these superpowers are investing in culture as they build their strategic positions on the global stage. Some are meeting me to find out more about London Fashion Week, and then their governments are investing millions of pounds in building their own. They understand that investment in culture leads to the commercial and reputational success of a nation,' she said. At the end of her speech, Weir urged the BFC's patrons, retailers, designers and cultural and commercial leaders to rise together. 'Fashion is not just about shows and clothes. Fashion gives us a preview of society's next chapter. It's time to write a new story together,' she said. Best of WWD Pandemic Has Stoked Appetite for French Luxury, Survey Finds U.S. Sets Strategic Vision for China Trade Policy Furmark's Farm-to-Shopfloor Tracing Tags Set for International Debut
Hypebeast
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
The British Fashion Council Is Shaking Up London Fashion Week
Summary Following the departure of longtime CEO Caroline Rush, theBritish Fashion Councilhas entered a new era. Newly-appointed leaderLaura Weiris preparing to bring significant changes to UK streets, announcing several plans that will shape the future ofLondon Fashion Week. Last season, the BFC announced its decision to eliminate its menswear runways in June, opting instead for a well-rounded September schedule. In the coming months, Laura Weir will waive fees for designers showing their new collections on the main calendar, while also doubling their investment in LFW's guest program, which aims to bring more international designers to British soil. Furthermore, the BFC's futureNEWGENdesigners will have access to an expansive LFW show space for the next three years. The most recent class includesAARON ESH,Chet Lo,HARRI, and more. Finally, all BFC scholarship recipients will receive more funding than ever before, enabling them to produce more in-depth collections and impactful runway shows. The next edition of London Fashion Week will take place from September 18 to 22, 2025.
South China Morning Post
25-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
London Fashion Week autumn/winter 2025 highlights: as independent brands rethink the runway, Simone Rocha shifts its aesthetic, and Burberry brings stars from The Crown and Bridgerton to its front row
Unlike Paris and Milan – where you get a sense of how luxury groups such as LVMH and Kering, and global powerhouses such as Chanel and Prada are faring – London Fashion Week is a barometer for the current state of independent fashion. The main takeaway from the latest round of London shows, autumn/winter 2025 – which ended on Monday evening with Burberry, the only big brand on the schedule – is that independent designers are reconsidering their priorities and questioning the benefit of holding a show. A look from the autumn/winter 2025 show of London-based Chinese designer Huishan Zhang. Photo: Handout Advertisement This season, big names such as JW Anderson, established labels such as Molly Goddard and 16Arlington, and buzzy up-and-comers like Nensi Dojaka and KNWLS were all absent from the official calendar. While they probably all had different reasons for sitting it out, it's clear that such labels are shifting their priorities to where it matters most and that the appeal of organising a show – which can cost up to US$100,000 and is a big investment for an independent brand – is not what it used to be. In recent years British-based brands in particular have had to deal with issues including the downfall of luxury online retailers such as Matches and Farfetch; Brexit, which has made it harder for them to export their products and source materials from continental Europe; and the end of the VAT tax refund, which has made the UK, and London especially, less appealing to overseas shoppers. These are just some of the matters – let's not forget the pandemic – that Caroline Rush has had to deal with during her 15-year tenure as chief executive of the British Fashion Council, as she explains in an interview in London. Pictured in 2022, Caroline Rush, departing chief executive of the British Fashion Council, has been instrumental in raising the global profile of London Fashion Week. 'We've become just so adept at dealing with crises,' says Rush, who is leaving her post this year. 'We've been sort of in a combative mode, really, in trying to be there to champion the industry and help designers figure out how to navigate all of this.' As for the many 'no-shows' this season, Rush explains that not holding a show is not necessarily a bad thing. 'It's really important for designers to think about their collection and how they want to communicate,' she says. 'Sometimes the media and the retailers see [not having a show] as a lack of confidence in what they're doing, but we just see it as actually good business sense if they're focusing on the product and what they can deliver.' She adds that designers can significantly decrease the cost of producing a runway presentation by using spaces provided by the British Fashion Council and taking advantage of the resources made available to them by the institution.
