Published
Apr 28, 2016
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BFC announces new venue, format for 2016 Fashion Awards

Published
Apr 28, 2016

This December will see The Fashion Awards 2016 take place at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London, a new venue for what was formerly known as the British Fashion Awards.


Photo: BFC


The Fashion Awards are sponsored by Swarovski and celebrate the best of British and international talent from the global fashion community. They have just been remade into a new format, the core aim of which is to raise significant funds over the next ten years for education scholarships to help the best talent attend leading fashion colleges. The cost of education in the UK is currently at an all-time high, with more than half of UK universities charging the maximum of £9,000 per year.

The annual Awards will be a fundraiser gala for the British Fashion Council Education Foundation charity.

Dame Natalie Massenet, BFC Chairman commented: “Our aim is to make the Fashion Awards 2016 bigger and better than ever and will celebrate the global fashion industry at the beautiful and iconic London venue, the Royal Albert Hall. Nadja and her team at Swarovski have made these awards possible and we are thrilled to be working in partnership with them once again. As a global industry we should make a commitment to support talented people from all backgrounds to fulfil their dreams and access the best universities in the world. Over the next ten years our ambition is to raise and invest £10million to support young people in this goal. London is seen as the capital for the most creative new talent in the world that provides talent and energy for the global fashion industry.”

Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board commented: “Supporting emerging talent and celebrating creativity is in Swarovski’s DNA, so we are delighted to partner again with the BFC on the Fashion Awards, which are not only celebrating the most creative expression in fashion on a global scale, but also raising funds for education in fashion. The Royal Albert Hall is the perfect venue for this evolved event, which will truly celebrate and cement London’s position as the world’s pre-eminent creative hub, whilst giving back to the fashion industry.”

The awards, which have been going since 1989, are voted on by the BFC's international judging panel, which consists of over 800 key industry figures, from all corners of the fashion community.

Sarah Mower MBE and Meribeth Parker, presidents of the BFC Education Pillar and Trustees of its Education Foundation, said: "It's a fact that without the stream of talent Britain's great fashion education teaches, London Fashion Week could not be the vibrant force it is today. Now that students are facing extreme debt, we are aware of how vital it is to continue to identify, encourage and financially support the people the fashion business will depend on in the future. The British Fashion Council Education Foundation is committed to introducing young people to the huge variety of opportunities which now exist in the industry on the business sides as well as the creative. The money raised from this drive will underpin work in schools, support apprenticeships and enable BA and MA students to continue their studies. We are grateful for every philanthropic donation to this cause, which secures the future not just of talented young people, but of the industry itself."  

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