Today saw the announcement of our ten Semi-Finalists, shortlisted by Christopher Bailey for the 2012 Fashion Fringe award. Exciting times for us, but even more so for each of them.

Our exceptionally talented ten are, in alphabetical order:

1. Cornel Bolt (Cornel Bolt)
2. Dobrowolski Af Rosenborg (Heta Dobrowolski & Caroline af Rosenborg)
3. Dejan (Dejan Agatonovic)
4. Fischer (Nadine Fischer)
5. Haizhen Wang (Haizhen Wang)
6. Miyoko Kamijo (Miyoko Kamijo)
7. Raffaele Ascione (Raffaele Ascione)
8. Shu Ting Wang (Shuting Wang)
9. Teija (Teija Eilola)
10. Vita Gottlieb (Vita Gottlieb)

Following a demanding day of technical assessment and a board interview with Christopher Bailey and Colin McDowell, three Finalists will be announced at an invitation-only industry reception on Tuesday 22nd May.

These three designers will then work throughout the summer in the Fashion Fringe studio space at the London College of Fashion, creating their capsule collections to be presented at London Fashion Week in September – supported throughout by Fashion Fringe’s mentoring programme.

At the final catwalk show in September, one designer will be selected by Christopher Bailey as the overall winner and will receive a two-year development package to set up and sustain their business; which includes a mixture of financial support, business advice, mentoring and a fully equipped studio at Somerset House.

To give you just a taster of each of their designs, have a flick through the gallery below:

Fashion Fringe, the emerging talent platform set up by Colin McDowell in association with IMG Fashion, today announced the ten Semi-Finalists for the 2012 award, selected by the project’s 2012 Chair, Christopher Bailey, Chief Creative Officer of Burberry.

Aspiring designers submitted applications throughout March and April, in the hope of being selected for the prestigious accolade, received previously by the likes of FYODOR GOLAN, Corrie Nielsen, Erdem and Basso & Brooke. Each applicant supplied sketches of their proposed collections complete with fabric swatches, full production costings and an application form that detailed their fashion inspirations and approach to starting a legitimate fashion business.

Following an intense day of judging and careful consideration, Christopher Bailey selected ten designers to go through to the next round and commented:

“It has been truly inspiring to review the work of these incredibly bright and creative entrants – each and every one of them with such a strong expression and point of view. The submissions that we have seen today reinforce the amazing talent, energy and creativity that run through the UK and I am so proud to be able to help nurture the next generation of visionaries who will be shaping the world of design in the future.”

Colin McDowell, Founder and Creative Director of Fashion Fringe, commented:

“The selection process was a joyful and stimulating experience, with Christopher’s careful and thoughtful approach to the work of each individual contestant well in evidence. But the really marvellous moment was when he asked if he could phone the ten Semi Finalists himself to give them the good news. A spontaneous gesture, which I can assure you made the days of ten young people as he talked to them individually. It said so much about this very special person.”

The ten 2012 Fashion Fringe Semi-Finalists are (in alphabetical order):

1. Cornel Bolt (Cornel Bolt)
2. Dobrowolski Af Rosenborg (Heta Dobrowolski & Caroline af Rosenborg)
3. Dejan (Dejan Agatonovic)
4. Fischer (Nadine Fischer)
5. Haizhen Wang (Haizhen Wang)
6. Miyoko Kamijo (Miyoko Kamijo)
7. Raffaele Ascione (Raffaele Ascione)
8. Shu Ting Wang (Shuting Wang)
9. Teija (Teija Eilola)
10. Vita Gottlieb (Vita Gottlieb)

For more information on each of the Semi Finalists, click here.

Following a demanding day of technical assessment and a board interview with Christopher Bailey and Colin McDowell, three Finalists will be announced at an invitation-only industry reception on Tuesday 22nd May. These three designers will then work throughout the summer in the Fashion Fringe studio space at the London College of Fashion, creating their capsule collections to be presented at London Fashion Week in September – supported throughout by Fashion Fringe’s mentoring programme.

At the final catwalk show in September, one designer will be selected by Christopher Bailey as the overall winner and will receive a two-year development package to set up and sustain their business; which includes a mixture of financial support, business advice, mentoring and a fully equipped studio at Somerset House.

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Notes to Editors

For all enquiries please contact Good Relations Life:
Katie Mitchell-Baxter +44 (0)20 7861 3143 / KatieMB@goodrelationslife.co.uk
Nicola Hamilton: +44 (0)20 7861 3189 / NicolaH@goodrelationslife.co.uk

LONDON FASHION WEEK AW12

London Fashion Week was exciting for Fashion Fringe.  Six of our past winners showed on the schedule (Basso & Brooke; Erdem; Aminaka Wilmont; JENA.THEO; Corrie Nielsen and FYODOR GOLAN) with FYODOR GOLAN getting a front page photograph in The Independent and the Scottish issue of The Times.

This season we partnered with the Corinthia Hotel London which hosted an event for The Fashion Fringe Trio – a finalist from each of the last three years, who did not win but have proved themselves worthy of being included in the Fashion Fringe stable of young talents.  Elliot Atkinson (2009), Alice Palmer (2010) and Nabil Nayal (2011), presented capsule collections before an international group of 150 visitors who were able to not only enjoy the clothes but also the fabulous venue.  Thanks to Gabrielle Shaw of Gabrielle Shaw Communications and Matthew Dixon, General Manager of Corinthia Hotel London, and their teams.  The two spectacular penthouses put at our disposal, complete with champagne, delicious canapés and two handsome and very efficient butlers, people lingered – and I don’t blame them.  This was a really elegant respite from the bustle of the outside world’s and we all enjoyed the privilege of being rich – or pretending to be for a couple of hours – as much as the sophisticated clothes and the chat with the designers, who were on hand throughout to talk about their creations & answer questions.  Apart from the Sunday Time Style Team and Sasha Wilkins of Liberty London Girl, we were pleased to welcome journalists and buyers from Europe and beyond in this venture that we hope to be able to repeat next season.

FASHION FRINGE ROAD SHOW

We are about to start our search for this year’s Finalists and ultimate winner, which begins on March 12^th in Edinburgh.  This year we have decided to go back to the national wide Fashion Fringe Road Show which we had in earlier years.  With the generous help of young British designers we are taking Fashion Fringe to universities & colleges around the country – but with a twist.  We are visiting the colleges and areas where our guest designers grew up and studied:

-          Christopher Kane in Scotland

-          Gareth Pugh in Northumbria

-          Matthew Williamson in Manchester

-          Giles in Nottinghamshire

-          Julien MacDonald in Brighton

-          Erdem at the Royal College of Art (as to take him back to Canada would, we feel, have been stretching things – not least the Fashion Fringe budget!)

 If you want to hear them talking about their early days and how they have reached their eminence of today, check out times and venues on our website – and come along!

FASHION FRINGE ACCESSORIES

Our Accessories Award continues this year with a partnership with Roger Vivier for the second year, a fact that pleases us immensely.  Not only is it a joy to be able to work with Bruno Frisoni for another year, our path is steered for us with the expertise of Elaine Sullivan of Roger Vivier in London, a woman whose efficiency and sense of order makes our cooperation with Roger Vivier a pleasure.  As for the winner, who enjoys a six month apprenticeship in Paris, working closely with Bruno & his team.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

So, what else in what is proving to be a very pleasing and rewarding ninth year of Fashion Fringe’s existence?

HORSING AROUND

Well, Hilary Alexander, much loved fashion editor of the Telegraph, now retired, but not in any way diminished in her energy and enthusiasm, is working with Corrie Nielsen who is designing a very special dress for a very special occasion with the Horse Guards coming up soon – watch this space.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Rita Britton, legendary owner of Pollyanna, one of the coolest fashion shops in the UK based in Barnsley, is working with Nabil Nayal, a fellow citizen of Yorkshire who, lucky fellow, is benefitting from her immense knowledge of dress; unrivalled experience in fashion retain and her good Yorkshire practical commonsense.  I can think of no better fortune that could attend a young designer just setting off on a career.

BAGS AT THE READY

Finally, we were all delighted when London & Partners, the official promotional organisation for London, asked us to nominate two of our young labels to each design a bag for their prestigious International Confex at Excel this year. 

We suggested our first winners (Basso & Brooke) and our latest (FYODOR GOLAN) and we are very pleased that both of their designers were chosen and have gone into production.  What out for this limited edition.  These designers are strong, attractive and unique – exactly what we have strived to make Fashion Fringe over the last 9 years.

 A bit about London & Partners – Our company attracts and delivers value to business, students and visitors. London & Partners is a not-for-profit public private partnership, funded by the Mayor of London and our network of commercial partners.

We work in partnership with organisations in London and across the world to deliver our vision and mission.

UNSUNG HEROS

The next excitement, about which we are really very thrilled, is the announcement of our new chair who will preside for this year and remain with us for next years, leading us up to our tenth anniversary – of which a lot more in future newsletters.   A good chair is of vital importance in an enterprise like Fashion Fringe and we have had the best.  As with so many things to do with Fashion Fringe I am overwhelmed by the generosity shown to us by very busy people.  Not one [person asked to be our chair has hesitated for a moment.  Tom Ford; Donatella Versace; Roland Mouret and Claudia Schiffer: all have given their time, experience and knowledge, as have committee men embers such as Anne Pitcher (Managing Director of Selfridges), Professor Roy Peach (the former Dean of Postgraduate Studies at the London College of Fashion) and Angela Quaintrell, whose tireless work not just for Fashion Fringe, The Centre for Fashion Enterprise; the British Fashion Council and her anonymous but seemingly endless support for young tyro designers is an object lesson to us all.  Why has this woman not been honoured by the Queen?   For all that she does for our young designers 0 much of it without pay?

DON’T FORGET: THE NEXT NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCES FASHION FRIGNE CHAIR FOR 2012!

Love Colin

Colin McDowell, Founder & Creative Director

Fashion Fringe, one of the leading platforms supporting emerging fashion talent in the UK, today announced that Christopher Bailey, Burberry Chief Creative Officer, will sit as Chair for the award for the next two years.

The announcement coincides with 2012 applications for the award, opening on Monday 12th March via the Fashion Fringe website, www.fashionfringe.co.uk .

Christopher Bailey, who completed his design studies in the UK, has a long-standing history of supporting and mentoring emerging British design talent, regularly undertaking additional work to support a cross section of charitable organisations and initiatives. As Chair of Fashion Fringe, Christopher will help to launch the careers of undiscovered British design talents. The role will see him solely judge, select and mentor three Finalists and the Winner of the 2012 award.

Christopher Bailey said: “Fashion Fringe provides a wonderful platform to develop emerging creative talent and I am very proud to be partnering with them to unearth the next generation of exciting designers.  The support, mentoring and guidance I received at the early stages of my career gave me the belief and self-confidence to explore the many wonderful opportunities that I’ve had.”

Fashion Fringe, the annual project set up by Colin McDowell in 2003 in conjunction with IMG Fashion, is committed to enabling emerging talented designers to launch, promote and sustain their label and business in London. The platform is unique in helping up-and-coming fashion talent learn how to run a fashion label and turn it into a successful business; predominantly via its well-established, and much-emulated mentoring programme involving the cream of the fashion industry as advisers.

Burberry has a history of supporting British design and the arts, and has regularly worked together for many years with Fashion Fringe to cultivate emerging creative talent in a number of ways.

On Christopher Bailey’s appointment as Chair, Colin McDowell, Founder and Creative Director of Fashion Fringe, said: “I have waited some time before asking Christopher to be our Chair as I wanted the run up to our tenth anniversary year (2013) to be very special. And I know that an association with Christopher and Burberry will make it just that and provide a perfect path to carry us through from one decade to the next. He is young and Burberry has a long and trusted tradition, and that pleases me enormously as youth and longevity are entirely what motivate and drive Fashion Fringe. I believe that Christopher and Burberry will offer great inspiration to our candidates in Fashion Fringe for the next two years whilst encouraging them to boldly step out and create their own vision and originality.”

Peter Levy, SVP and Managing Director, IMG Fashion Worldwide said: “We couldn’t be happier that Christopher Bailey is joining us at Fashion Fringe, as he is the perfect mentor for the next generation of designers. Young talent needs support to grow their respective visions into creative and commercial success and that is why IMG Fashion will continue to nurture them in close collaboration with the key figures of today’s fashion industry.”

Christopher Bailey’s contribution to the Fashion Fringe comes within a significant year for British creative industries, as the world’s spotlight shifts towards London during the 2012 Olympic Games and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, making the 2012 award a leading event for the promotion and sustainable development of young fashion design talent in London during this seminal year for British creativity.

Fashion Fringe has already helped launch many successful names into the fashion industry, with seventeen previous Winners and Finalists still running businesses today, notably including Basso & Brooke (2004), Erdem (2005), Corrie Nielsen (2010) and, most recently, design duo FYODOR GOLAN, who showcased their first collection in February during London Fashion Week to much critical acclaim.

The designer Christopher Bailey selects as winner in September this year will gain instant acknowledgement from the industry, as well as a two year development package.  This will include a mixture of financial support, business advice, mentoring and an equipped studio at Somerset House, to set up and sustain their business.

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For all press enquiries please contact:
Katie Mitchell-Baxter     020 7861 3143 / katiemb@goodrelationslife.co.uk
Or Amy Elderton        020 3367 3992 / amy.elderton@burberry.com

About Christopher Bailey

Christopher Bailey was appointed Chief Creative Officer of Burberry in November 2009, a newly created position in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the brand since his appointment as Burberry Creative Director in May 2001

Christopher Bailey is responsible for the design of all Burberry collections and products, as well as all advertising, corporate art direction, architectural design, multi-media content and overall brand image for Burberry. In 2009 he was honoured with an MBE for services to the fashion industry. Other accolades include:

•    2010: International Award, Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
•    2009: Honorary Patronage from Dublin Trinity College Philosophical Society  
Designer of the Year 2009, British Fashion Awards (UK)
•    2008: Menswear Designer of the Year 2008, British Fashion Awards (UK)
•    2007: Menswear Designer of the Year 2007, British Fashion Awards (UK)
Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Huddersfield, Yorkshire
•    2006: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Westminster, where Christopher graduated from with a BA in 1990
•    2005: Designer of the Year, British Fashion Awards (UK)
•    2003: Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Art, where Christopher graduated from with an MA in 1994

In addition to the charities and organisations aided by the Burberry Foundation, Christopher regularly undertakes additional work to support a cross sector of charitable organisations and initiatives including:
•    Support of long term partnership with The Royal College of Art through “The Burberry Design Scholarship”
•    The Chelsea College of Art: mentoring and donation
•    The British Fashion Council: mentoring

About the Burberry Foundation

The Burberry Foundation was established in March 2008 and is a charity registered in England and Wales. The Burberry Foundation was set up to support the creative spirit and the ambition of the young people of today by helping them to navigate the uncertain terrain of their age and of the complex world in which we live. The Burberry Foundation has partnered with world-class organisations and arts based initiatives designed to inspire disadvantaged young people around the world:
•    The Hepworth Wakefield Gallery (Yorkshire)
•    Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts (London)
•    Design Quest with the Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts
January /February  2011
•    ReachOutRCA/Royal College of Art (London)
•    Showzine with ReachOut/RCA
June/July 2011

www.burberry.com

London & Partners, the official promotional organisation for London, has teamed up with Fashion Fringe, the annual award platform finding and supporting emerging fashion talent in London, to create stylish limited edition London bags. The exclusive bags will be given to all those visiting London’s stand B1720 at International Confex 2012 which takes place at ICC ExCeL London from 6th to 8th March 2012.

London & Partners and Fashion Fringe commissioned two award-winning rising stars of the fashion world, the most recent Fashion Fringe winners, FYODOR GOLAN (2011) and the first ever winners of the award Basso & Brooke (2004), to create bespoke designs for London. These one-off designs offer each label’s own unique interpretation of the city and are a showcase of the edgy fashion for which London is renowned the world over.

Selected by Stylist Magazine to design a unique outfit for Kylie Minogue for the magazine’s celebration of 25 years of Kylie, Basso & Brooke are pioneers of the digital print process in fashion, having also been one of the first UK brands to be worn by First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Fyodor Podgorny and Golan Frydman teamed up in London to form their creative label, FYODOR GOLAN, and have worked with everyone from Alexander McQueen to Lady Gaga. Describing their ethos as Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, they explore differences rather than similarities to create their own signature.

Fresh from their successful debut solo show at London Fashion Week, Fyodor Podgorny and Golan Frydman said:

“We see our design as a portrayal of an edgy, unique and cool London. We are showing the strong, creative and fashionable side of London – not necessarily the “polished side”. We wanted to portray that in London, you expect the unexpected.”

Echoing that London is a world leader for business and incentive as well as a destination rich in diverse leisure experiences, the partnership with Fashion Fringe and its designers reinforces its unique offering as a city that celebrates innovation, creativity, talent and diversity, whilst remaining true to its fascinating heritage.

Zanine Adams, Head of Event Solutions and UK Sales at London & Partners said;

“We are delighted to partner with Basso & Brooke and FYODOR GOLAN through Fashion Fringe on this exciting venture for International Confex that brings together the worlds of Fashion and Business in London, both thriving sectors in which the capital has securely staked its claim. London & Partners is thrilled to be exhibiting once again at International Confex, reinforcing our promise to connect event planners to London through our free and impartial convention bureau service, ensuring businesses get the very best of the city for their event, incentive or motivational trip.”

London is a capital which embraces collaboration – whether between students and businesses or venues and artists, the city connects people across industry and sector, and inspires creativity from its diverse pool of talent from across the world. Such a collaborative outlook is what gives the city an unrivalled proposition as a leading centre for business and events.

This is a position which only seems to be getting stronger as we head towards London 2012 in what is a year like no other for London. Whilst the city has kicked off the celebrations with a raft of unique experiences and one-off events taking place throughout 2012, it is already looking ahead to the legacy that the Olympic Games will leave for 2013 and beyond for businesses, residents and visitors alike. London is firmly focused on the future which is demonstrated by the opportunities and benefits post-Games including a wealth of new venues; mass enhancement of London’s transport infrastructure; new hotels and attractions and the regeneration of London’s East End, providing a brand new part of the city to explore and enjoy.

Highlighting London’s diverse offering of venues for business and events, London & Partners will be exhibiting at International Confex along with 16 stand partners including Wembley Stadium, the Royal Garden Hotel, London Transport Museum and Lord’s Cricket Ground. With such a wide range of London venues, the team at the London & Partners stand can provide solutions for all kinds of events and needs, from a full planning advisory service for events on every scale to specialist venue information from individual stand partners.

Julie Bouabbane, Venue Marketing and Sales Manager at London Transport Museum said:

“As a truly ‘London’ venue, we are delighted to join with London & Partners at International Confex to launch a number of new packages that celebrate the capital in style. For event planners looking to bring their business to the capital, London Transport Museum has a wealth of offers for this year and beyond. For 2012 these include offers inspired by the iconic London tube map plus themed ‘Olympic’ evenings, and also special opportunities to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the London Underground in 2013.”

Adam Faries, Conference & Banqueting Sales Manager at the Royal Garden Hotel said:

“We are delighted to be exhibiting at this year’s International Confex with London & Partners in what promises to be a great year for Confex and for London.  At the Royal Garden Hotel, we have recently completed a multi-million pound refurbishment, which includes a significant upgrade to our meetings and events space and we’re looking forward to showcasing this to visitors at the show.”

As a city for incentive and business, London maintains its status as one of the top destinations in the world attracting more event delegates than any other city on the planet. But London is not a city to rest on its laurels: with recent mass investment into the city and an ever changing landscape, London remains the best big city on earth for business.

Contact

Kirsten Ferguson – PR Manager – Business Tourism, FDI & Major Events

T: +44 (0)20 7234 5861

M: +44 (0)78 2550 7051

Fashion Fringe will be embarking on a regional tour of Britain between the 12th and the 20th of March 2012 – coinciding with the call for applications for the 2012 Fashion Fringe award, which opens on 12th March.

Fashion Fringe and Colin McDowell, along with a panel of the UK’s fashion elite, will be visiting leading Universities throughout the UK, offering fashion students and local fashion professionals advice on how to succeed in various career paths within the industry.

The tour will visit:
-    Edinburgh        12th March    University of Edinburgh
-    Newcastle        13th March    Northumbria University
-    Manchester     14th March    Manchester Metropolitan University
-    Nottingham     15th March    Nottingham Trent University
-    Brighton           19th March    University of Brighton

The road show will end on 20th March with a launch event in London.

The panellists, including Christopher Kane (Edinburgh), will represent diverse areas of the fashion industry from designing and styling to buying, merchandising and journalism and will talk about their own career experiences, offering unrivalled networking opportunities for all attendees. The full line up of panellists will be released in February on this website.

Events will be free to students, with limited tickets available for other members of the public.  All attendees will need to pre-register by emailing fashionfringe@imgworld.com.

PR Contact:

Good Relations Life | Katie Mitchell-Baxter | KMitchell-Baxter@goodrelations.co.uk

Ticket & Information requests:

fashionfringe@imgworld.com

Because we know that some of the best and brightest fashion stars in the UK emerge from towns and cities far beyond London’s borders, we will be embarking on a regional tour of Britain between the 12th and the 20th of March.

Like in previous years, Colin McDowell will be visiting leading Universities throughout the UK, bringing with him a panel of the UK’s fashion elite – offering fashion students and local fashion professionals advice on how to succeed in various career paths within the industry.

The fashion crowd packs in to a Fashion Fringe Road Show event in 2005

The first 2012 Road Show date in Edinburgh coincides with the call for applications for the 2012 Fashion Fringe award, which opens on 12th March.

The tour will visit:
- Edinburgh 12th March University of Edinburgh
- Newcastle 13th March Northumbria University
- Manchester 14th March Manchester Metropolitan University
- Nottingham 15th March Nottingham Trent University
- Brighton 19th March University of Brighton

The road show will end on 20th March with a launch event in London.

The panellists, including Christopher Kane (Edinburgh), will talk about their own career experiences, offering unrivalled networking opportunities for all attendees. The full line up of panellists will be released in February on this website, so check back then to find out which exciting speakers we have lined up for your area!

Events will be free to students, with limited tickets available for other members of the public. All attendees will need to pre-register by emailing fashionfringe@imgworld.com.

Colin leads the discussion with a stellar line-up at the Road Show in Edinburgh in 2005

We seem to have had a very busy time at Fashion Fringe in the last few weeks but I am not complaining. They have been stimulating and enjoyable…

VOGUE FASHION’S NIGHT OUT

Let’s start with Vogue Fashion’s Night Out, where a selection of our past winners showcased looks on live models in the Canteen Pop-Up restaurant in the market building at the heart of Covent Garden’s Piazza. While we organised our own Pop-Up Shop, just around the corner, in a perfect little Georgian House – 7 Henrietta Street.

Our ‘Pop Up’ people were the incredibly talented knitwear designer, Alice Palmer and Jade Kang, two of our finalists last year; JENA.THEO, Fashion Fringe winners in 2009; EunJeong Hong, who won in 2008 and became a heroine in South Korea, and that clever label LF Markey, runner up in the same year. For the first time, we invited dedicated bloggers and so each designer could show one preview garment.

We also shot our Look Book for Fashion Fringe 2011 in Henrietta Street – photographed by Zoe Barlingwith hair and make-up by Craig Chapman and Amanda Harrington of InParlour. It was all a very positive experience.

FASHION FRINGE 2011 CATWALK SHOW

For the finalists’ show the casting was in the safe hands of Melissa Woolford, and hosted by Georgina Carr at The London College of Fashion with her usual calm patience and authority. She is one of our ‘rocks’ who makes things happen.

As those of you who were there know, the show was held at our new venue, 8 Northumberland, under the helpful guidance of Charles Boyd and his really ‘can-do’ team: Ellie Barnard, Hayley Economou, Lindsay Marshall-Ward & Naomi Dallas. The show space and party room worked perfectly. One of the many nice things about the night was that our current Accessories winner, Kerrie Luft, came back from Paris where she is apprenticed to Bruno Frisoni at Roger Vivier and we displayed her shows as a pointer for guests.

This year, we had a very sophisticated addition, for which we are indebted to Emma Etherton and Ben Gallop, in the shape of a Samsung Galaxy S II backstage lounge (graced by Samsung Electronics UK Managing Director, Mr. Song, as well as Samsung Mobile’s Managing Director, Simon Stanford) which was used as a chill-out hub by the designers, models and media for interviews. We felt highly honoured. There were also blogger bars in the party room – a first, thanks again to Samsung – so the news of the winner could be announced as soon as they were named.

Another first is that we invited not only photographers to record the show but also fashion artists and the experience was rewarding enough for us to want to expand this next year.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS, SUPPLIERS AND FRIENDS

Now, one of the most pleasing things for me, thanking our partners who give so generously so much more than money. Their enthusiasm and belief in what we do is really heartening. I am sure you know their names, but it is a pleasure to list them here because without their generosity, we really couldn’t function. So, here is the roll call of honours:

All I have to add is our thanks to our panel of judges, who give so generously of their time, knowledge and experience. Again, I think you know them all, but here goes:

And, finally, a big thank you to Good Relations who worked so hard with guests lists, interviews and coverage, and, of course, John Rushworth of Pentagram, who designed the space and programme, brilliantly as always, and INCA Productions (especially Chris Ford) who, every year, work miracles with our limited budget.

But I can’t finish without thanking that very talented jeweller, Jessica McCormack, for her beautiful and very clever trophy. I marvel at how she finds a new and exciting variation on our theme every year. She doesn’t just have artistic ability in cart loads, she has a sophisticated aesthetic that is entirely modern – and that’s why we love her.

She’s been deemed a modern couturier and now Corrie’s Nielsen’s sartorial art is available for pre-order purchase via The Couture Society. Sitting alongside a global selection of designers including À La Disposition, Emilio de la Morena and Michael Sontag, Corrie’s spring/summer collection, ‘Arbiter Elegantiarum’, which dips into a dark Victorian mood with a present day Japanese twist, is officially for sale.

One of four in her class to receive a First Class BA Honours degree in Fashion Design Womenswear from Central Saint Martins, Corrie cut her teeth in bespoke tailoring and at a six-year tenure at Vivienne Westwood before being chosen by John Galliano as winner of Fashion Fringe in 2010. She launched her eponymous label soon thereafter and has been recognised worldwide as a raw talent and true fashion visionary.

London-based Corrie Nielsen is the daughter of a prominent American sculptor and she debuted her first solo catwalk show in February of 2011 for the autumn/winter 2011 season on-schedule at London Fashion Week at Somerset House.

PR Contact:

Forward PR | Courtney Blackman | courtney.blackman@forwardpr.com

Through the help and support of Fashion Fringe and the endless support of the panel including, to name a few, Claudia Schiffer, Anne Pitcher and Angela Quaintrell, I have arrived at a refined collection that is both commercially viable and also exudes confidence – all of which are characteristics that I embrace.

Strong, confident women dominated Nabil’s Fashion Fringe catwalk (c) Ian Gavan | Getty Images for Fashion Fringe

There are many highlights that I will never forget about the process. The biggest, of course, was that of the show night itself. I realised I had achieved something truly special when I observed my models talking amongst themselves in the dressing room; they were truly comfortable in my clothes, they seemed to feel empowered and – most importantly – they were wearing the clothes, not the other way around – something that has always been an objective from the outset; real clothes for real women.

The reviews of my collection since the show have been overwhelmingly positive. It seems the press have really picked up on all of my signature points; confidence, a sense of drama and also a sense of reality behind the story. All of which are fueling AW12!

Nabil Nayal takes to the runway for his finale (c) Ian Gavan | Getty Images for Fashion Fringe