Latest news with #LauraWeir
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
BFC makes fashion week changes, drops on-schedule fees, boosts guest programme spend
The new CEO of the British Fashion Council (BFC), Laura Weir, is bringing in some key changes to London Fashion Week (LFW) as runway events and the designers who show at them face bigger challenges than ever. See catwalk The BFC said designers physically showing at LFW in September won't have to pay participation fees to be on the official schedule, a crucial development, particularly for smaller labels. There will also be a doubling of the BFC's investment in LFW's international guest programme as the body works hard to ensure the attendance of international buyers, press and cultural influencers. The changes come after Weir — a former journalist who immediately prior to the BFC was in charge of the creative, marketing and comms teams at Selfridges — took up her post at the helm of British fashion's organising body a little over two months ago. 'Fashion week is a valuable piece of national IP and our shop window for what creative Britain looks like,' Weir said at the BFC Summer Party at the Serpentine Gallery in London. But she also made it clear that the BFC's focus won't simply be LFW-centric. She said that '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'. And other news that came with the developments around LFW itself included a three-year extension of the BFC's NEWGEN government-backed funding programme to 2029; increased scholarship funding to boost opportunities for the designers of tomorrow; and the BFC Fashion Assembly pilot under Sarah Mower to get designer role models into schools across the country and reduce the heavy bias towards London for UK designers. Weir is particularly concerned about the loss of design talent in the UK to cities like Paris, Milan and others, and said it's 'not because of a lack of creativity, but because of a lack of infrastructure to support our designers to make, create, show and importantly to scale in this country'. And she called on retailers to step in saying 'designers need you not just as stockists, but as strategic partners. You are the enablers'.
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
BFC makes fashion week changes, drops on-schedule fees, boosts guest programme spend
The new CEO of the British Fashion Council (BFC), Laura Weir, is bringing in some key changes to London Fashion Week (LFW) as runway events and the designers who show at them face bigger challenges than ever. See catwalk The BFC said designers physically showing at LFW in September won't have to pay participation fees to be on the official schedule, a crucial development, particularly for smaller labels. There will also be a doubling of the BFC's investment in LFW's international guest programme as the body works hard to ensure the attendance of international buyers, press and cultural influencers. The changes come after Weir — a former journalist who immediately prior to the BFC was in charge of the creative, marketing and comms teams at Selfridges — took up her post at the helm of British fashion's organising body a little over two months ago. 'Fashion week is a valuable piece of national IP and our shop window for what creative Britain looks like,' Weir said at the BFC Summer Party at the Serpentine Gallery in London. But she also made it clear that the BFC's focus won't simply be LFW-centric. She said that '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'. And other news that came with the developments around LFW itself included a three-year extension of the BFC's NEWGEN government-backed funding programme to 2029; increased scholarship funding to boost opportunities for the designers of tomorrow; and the BFC Fashion Assembly pilot under Sarah Mower to get designer role models into schools across the country and reduce the heavy bias towards London for UK designers. Weir is particularly concerned about the loss of design talent in the UK to cities like Paris, Milan and others, and said it's 'not because of a lack of creativity, but because of a lack of infrastructure to support our designers to make, create, show and importantly to scale in this country'. And she called on retailers to step in saying 'designers need you not just as stockists, but as strategic partners. You are the enablers'.
Fashion Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
BFC makes fashion week changes, drops on-schedule fees, boosts guest programme spend
The new CEO of the British Fashion Council (BFC), Laura Weir, is bringing in some key changes to London Fashion Week (LFW) as runway events and the designers who show at them face bigger challenges than ever. See catwalk The BFC said designers physically showing at LFW in September won't have to pay participation fees to be on the official schedule, a crucial development, particularly for smaller labels. There will also be a doubling of the BFC's investment in LFW's international guest programme as the body works hard to ensure the attendance of international buyers, press and cultural influencers. The changes come after Weir — a former journalist who immediately prior to the BFC was in charge of the creative, marketing and comms teams at Selfridges — took up her post at the helm of British fashion's organising body a little over two months ago. 'Fashion week is a valuable piece of national IP and our shop window for what creative Britain looks like,' Weir said at the BFC Summer Party at the Serpentine Gallery in London. But she also made it clear that the BFC's focus won't simply be LFW-centric. She said that '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'. And other news that came with the developments around LFW itself included a three-year extension of the BFC's NEWGEN government-backed funding programme to 2029; increased scholarship funding to boost opportunities for the designers of tomorrow; and the BFC Fashion Assembly pilot under Sarah Mower to get designer role models into schools across the country and reduce the heavy bias towards London for UK designers. Weir is particularly concerned about the loss of design talent in the UK to cities like Paris, Milan and others, and said it's 'not because of a lack of creativity, but because of a lack of infrastructure to support our designers to make, create, show and importantly to scale in this country'. And she called on retailers to step in saying 'designers need you not just as stockists, but as strategic partners. You are the enablers'.
Vogue
2 days ago
- Business
- Vogue
BFC Chief Exec Laura Weir Sets Out Vision For ‘Next British Fashion Era'
This article first appeared on Vogue Business. It was a tight squeeze inside the pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery in London on Monday night, as scores of designers, retailers, press, PRs, educators and others from across the industry gathered for the British Fashion Council's annual summer party. Always a fun affair, this year's event had fresh energy as members of the BFC community waited to hear from its new CEO, Laura Weir. She did not disappoint. 'Tonight, we are here to celebrate not the next British fashion season, but the next British fashion era,' said Weir, to cheers from the crowd. 'I can't help but feel that since Brexit and Covid, we have been sleeping on the creative British asset that quite literally touches everyone. It is time to reset.' The British Fashion Council summer party at the Serpentine Pavilion and BFC CEO Laura Weir and chair David Pemsel pictured together. Photos: James D Kelly Eleven weeks after she took over from Caroline Rush, Weir used the summer party to announce her first major moves in the role. Among the crowd-pleasers, she revealed that, starting from this September, designers who are members of the BFC will no longer have to pay a fee to show at London Fashion Week. The move will align London with some of the smaller fashion weeks, like Berlin and Stockholm. 'Fashion week is a valuable piece of national IP and our shop window for what creative Britain looks like,' said Weir in the speech. The BFC will also double its investment in the London Fashion Week guest programme, with the aim of encouraging more global press and buyers to attend. She noted that government representatives from Hong Kong, India and the Middle East have requested meetings with her to find out more about London Fashion Week, and are investing millions in building their own local platforms. 'They understand that investment in culture leads to the commercial and reputational success of a nation,' said Weir. 'We have all of that in spades, we've had it for years — we have the fashion week, the creativity, the ambition — and yet we are losing design talent to Paris, Milan and Berlin, not because of a lack of creativity, but because of a lack of infrastructure to support our designers to make, create, show and importantly, to scale in this country.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Next British fashion era' looms as major shakeup to London Fashion Week is announced
London Fashion Week announcement from British Fashion Council's new chief executive looks set to take event beyond the central city with big plans for an industry reset to address 'losing talent' fears London Fashion Week is a massive event that's recognised across the globe with British and international designers' clothes featuring on the glamorous catwalk. Fashion shows take place in several spots across the city, as models showcase the latest collections, but now, a shake up has been announced with plans to move some of the focus beyond central London. The stylish event has been going since 1984 - and it's built up a huge reputation, aligning with other huge fashion shows across the world, with Milan, Paris, New York and London being known as the "big four". Industry professionals and fashion conscious onlookers watch the glamorous shows and fab new designs parade the catwalk - and it's impressive - but it's about to move to a new era. British Fashion Council's (BFC) new chief executive, Laura Weir, has been in the role for less than 80 days, but she's just announced the "next British fashion era" awaits - and she wants to revitalise the fashion industry. Speaking at the BFC's summer party at the Serpentine Pavilion in Kensington Gardens, Laura said it was time for a "reset". She addressed fears that London has been losing talent to Paris, Milan and Berlin, but set out her plan to prioritise British fashion's global reputation. Laura's plans for the fashion industry include "moving beyond central London" with a focus on 'touching communities that have never touched fashion before - until now." In her first speech as chief executive at the BFC summer party, she said: 'As I take on this role, I'm aware that the task ahead is Herculean - revitalising a sustainable fashion economy for our British designers in the UK and globally is a long-term mission. 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." Laura unveiled several strategies that will update and refresh the fashion economy, particularly for British designers. She said infrastructure is needed to support British designers so they are able to make, create and show their designs in the country - and the all important aspect of industry growth for homegrown fashion needs to be addressed, she said. For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. Speaking at the Serpentine Pavilion she said: 'I am still shaping my strategy, and my intention is to build on the great foundations of the BFC - 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. "Every event and showcase we host will be intentional and magnetic and the BFC's work internationally on behalf of our members, will mark a new era of post-Brexit cultural diplomacy." In a changing society, she acknowledged that fashion is "not just about shows and clothes." Laura described fashion as giving us a "preview of society's next chapter" adding that 'it's time to write a new story together'. She spoke of the importance of sustainability, said that the BFC has secured government funding for designer scholarships - and the London Fashion Week guest programme will invest more so they can welcome more international visitors to the event. Laura also said she felt that since Brexit and Covid, "we have been sleeping on the creative British asset that quite literally touches everyone." She added that Britain has designer creativity "in spades" and has done for years, but that "that investment in culture leads to the commercial and reputational success of a nation." London Fashion Week shows will hit the catwalk this September, taking place at several key spots such as Somerset House and The Truman Brewery - other interesting spaces will be announced as a surprise giving the event a fresh concept. The fashion week runs from Thursday, 18 September until Monday, 22 September in 2025 - it's a bi-annual event that runs again in June 2026. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!
