Image: BFC Chairman Harold Tillman (photographer: Andrew Reynaga)
Harold Tillman was appointed Chairman of the British Fashion Council in February 2008. He is also Chairman of British retailers Jaeger and Allders, the Board of Alumnus of the University of Arts, and Lord Coe’s Complete Leisure Group.
Following a career of significant business successes, his purchase of Jaeger in 2003, which had been ailing under its previous owners, is probably his career-defining acquisition. Jaeger has gone from an organisation near collapse to one which is now in 765 points of sale worldwide. Jaeger London hosted its debut show at London Fashion Week to critical acclaim.
Organising charitable initiatives, and giving something back to the institutions and industry that have contributed much to his success is playing an increasingly significant role in Harold Tillman’s life. Two years ago, he set up a £1million scholarship fund to help students at the London College of Fashion, where he studied in the 1960s. The sponsorship is awarded annually to help fund MA courses, and the first awards were handed out last summer for students starting their course in the autumn. He is also playing a leading role in the fundraising efforts on behalf of the London College of Fashion and the Fashion Enterprise Fund.
In his role of Chairman of the BFC, Harold employs his breadth of experience and understanding of the fashion industry to the benefit of Britain’s emerging design talent. The BFC's key role is to promote British designers to a global audience. It does so through two main events: London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Awards. As part of this role, the BFC has established talent identification sponsorship schemes BFC New Gen and BFC Fashion Forward to support and develop leading design talent in London to commercial successes.
In September 2009 Harold announced an initiative which will provide third stage funding for those who are on the cusp of developing strong and commercially successful fashion designer business in the UK: the British Fashion Council Fashion Fund. This fund will mark 25 Years of British Fashion by significantly contributing to developing a sustainable future for London’s future fashion stars.