On Wednesday 9th November, the BFC Foundation and our Foundation Patron, Aarti Lohia, hosted a dinner to celebrate Richard Quinn at his new studio in South London.
Quinn, was the first recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in 2018, awarded in person by the late Her Majesty the Queen, and this year, was the winner of the BFC / VOGUE Designer Fashion Fund. Through this funding, an incredible amount of hard work and a growing global customer base, Quinn has been able to move into a larger studio in order to house his expanding team, ideas, collaborations and collections. A business with diverse revenue streams, Quinn prints his own fabrics alongside other notable brands, including Burberry, JW Anderson and a host of emerging talents in the UK.
Our host, Aarti Lohia, welcomes these kind of intimate designer connections, “Having joined the BFC Foundation Patron Programme in 2022, I am delighted to support Richard and see his incredible studio. Being here means you really get a feel for how much work, diligence and craftmanship it takes to produce these wonderful collections. It is so important to me and my fellow Patrons that we continue supporting, championing and highlighting the zeal and creativity of the British Fashion Industry, especially when the turbulence of the last few years has, and will continue to, mean some tough moments for our designers to navigate”.
Each year, as well as a £200,000 grant, the winner of the BFC Vogue Designer Fashion Fund receives a mentoring programme through the BFC's support team, with access to funders, industry experts and pro bono legal services. The mentoring programme is also offered to all shortlisted designers.
The BFC Foundation, the British Fashion Council’s charity focuses on three areas: Education, Grant-Giving and Business Mentoring. Each recipient signs a grant agreement with the BFC Foundation which includes a Code of Conduct, and requirements to ensure that applicants provide key information for future impact reporting.
It is thanks to the BFC Foundation and our Global Foundation Patron programme, Co-Chaired by our wonderful leaders, Narmina Marandi and Tania Fares that we are able to deliver on these grant giving initiatives and we look forward to 2023, where new, vibrant, creative talent will come to prominence through these programmes.