INTERNATIONAL FASHION SHOWCASE 2014
13 – 23 February
The International Fashion Showcase launched in 2012 and celebrates London’s position as an international fashion city with a reputation for nurturing emerging talent. Organised by the British Council and British Fashion Council, the showcase takes place during London Fashion Week and will see more than 30 embassies and cultural institutions across the capital create fashion exhibitions which display their emerging fashion designers.
For the first time a central venue at 180 The Strand will house 14 showcases. This central space will be designed by architect Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio and will show the work of exciting emerging designers from countries including Argentina, Austria, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Nigeria, Paraguay, The Philippines, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland and Vietnam.
Other countries displaying the work of emerging designers in satellite exhibitions across the capital are Brazil, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Panama, Quebec (Canada), Romania, Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), Tanzania and The Netherlands.
The Showcase offers the public together with the international press and buyers the chance to explore work by some of the most innovative young fashion designers from around the world.
Other highlights include:
Brazil - a showcase featuring the work of London-based Brazilian designers, Barbara Casasola, Lucas Nascimento and Fernando Jorge and Brazil-based Vitorino Campos and Guilherme Viera.
Japan – an exhibition curated by internationally acclaimed designer and producer Yamamoto Kansai
Korea – five unique installations developed in conversation between exhibition-makers Sofia Hedman and Serge Martynov. Participating designers will examine the new wave of Korean avant-garde fashion.
Two group shows will focus on regional emerging fashion – Denmark, Sweden and Norway will show the work of emerging Scandinavian designers in an exhibition within RePresent, a wider showroom of Scandinavian brands, and countries from Central Europe, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia will take a voyage through the work of ten emerging designers united by their geography and shared history on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent and Contributing Editor to US Vogue, will chair an advisory panel that will judge the exhibitions and award the winning showcase with a trophy designed by Husam el Odeh (winner of the British Fashion Council Emerging Talent Award for Accessories in 2010). In 2014 we will also launch two new awards for individual designer and curator. The winners in all three categories will be announced on Sunday 16th February, during a private reception at 180 The Strand.
Visitors from the general public can enter a prize draw for tickets to London Fashion Weekend simply by posting a photograph of an exhibition online with the hashtag #IFSpassport
Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent and contributing editor Vogue US, commented, “In multicultural London, where so many international fashion students study, we also appreciate that talent can come from all and any background, and that in fashion, everyone is wide open to being excited by individuality, variety and difference.”
Following the inaugural International Fashion Showcase in 2012, which was developed to celebrate the year of the Olympics and Paralympics and formed part of the Fashion 2012 cultural programme; to date the Showcase has presented 45 countries and over 300 designers.
The International Fashion Showcase is the first official collaboration between the British Council and the BFC.
Images: http://bit.ly/1apIlu7
For press and media enquiries about the International Fashion Showcase contact:
Ashley Smith, Ella Dror PR, +44 (0)207 495 6886
ash@elladrorpr.com
For information about the British Council contact:
Mary Doherty, Arts Press Officer, +44 (0) 207 389 3144
mary.doherty@britishcouncil.org
For information about the British Fashion Council contact:
Kimberly Carroll, International PR Manager, +44 (0) 207 759 1987 kimberly.carroll@britishfashioncouncil.com
For more information visit http://backoftheenvelope.britishcouncil.org/ or http://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/content/1876/IFS
The International Fashion Showcase 2012 finalists included a group show by Botswana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, as well as Belgium, China, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Korea and USA. Korea was the winning country with their exhibition A New Space Around the Body, which showcased eight emerging designers from the region, and was presented with a trophy designed by Jordan Askill. In 2013 Estonia was awarded with a sculpture designed by former BFC NEWGEN recipient Dominic Jones for their exhibition The Estonian Ministry of Creative Affairs. The shortlisted countries were Argentina, Austria, Estonia, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), Switzerland and Tanzania.
The jury for the International Fashion Showcase 2014 is:
Sarah Mower MBE, contributing editor Vogue US and British Fashion Council Ambassador for Emerging Talent
Alison Moloney – Centre for Fashion Curation, London College of Fashion
Alistair O’Neill – Central Saint Martins and Fashion Curator
Andrew Groves – Westminster University
Anna Orsini – British Fashion Council
David Hayes – Financial Times
Kendall Robbins – British Council
Imogen Fox – The Guardian
Mandi Lennard – Mandi’s Basement
Maria Lemos – RainbowWave
Marie Schuller – SHOWstudio
Oriole Cullen – Victoria & Albert Museum
Robb Young - Contributor: International New York Times and Business of Fashion.
Susie Lau – Style Bubble
The project is directed by Anna Orsini, Strategic Consultant British Fashion Council and Niamh Tuft, Programme Manager British Council.
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes. We earn over 75% of our annual turnover of nearly £700 million from services which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for and from partnerships. A UK Government grant provides the remaining 25%. We match every £1 of core public funding with over £3 earned in pursuit of our charitable purpose. For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.org.
About the British Fashion Council:
The British Fashion Council (BFC) was set up in 1983 to promote British fashion internationally and co-ordinate this promotion through fashion weeks, exhibitions and showcasing events. The BFC now supports designers beginning at college level and extending to talent identification, business support and showcasing schemes to help British designer businesses develop their profiles and business globally and promote British fashion and its influential role in Creative Britain and Creative London. The BFC Colleges Council offers support to students through its MA Scholarship, links with industry through Design Competitions and Graduate Preview Day. Talent identification and business support schemes include the BFC Fash/On Film sponsored by River Island; BFC Rock Vault; BFC Headonism; BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund; BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund; Estethica; Fashion Forward sponsored by eBay Fashion and the Mayor of London; NEWGEN sponsored by Topshop and NEWGEN MEN sponsored by Topman. Showcasing initiatives include London Fashion Week, London Collections: Men, LONDON show ROOMS, the BFC/Bazaar Fashion Arts Foundation, International Fashion Showcase and the annual celebration of excellence in the fashion industry: the British Fashion Awards. www.britishfashioncouncil.com