Sixteen of the world’s best emerging fashion designers to exhibit in London at the International Fashion Showcase 2019. The IFS nurtures and presents work from the finest up-and-coming fashion talent from around the world. The biennial fashion presentation is a partnership between LCF, the British Council, British Fashion Council and Somerset House.
Image: Indian designers Naushad Ali and Rema Chaudhary
For London Fashion Week February 2019, the showcase has a new format. For the first time, 16 selected designers from across the globe will showcase a series of installations to represent their respective country. The 16 represented countries are: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, India, Georgia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Vietnam.
The designers will be supported through a bespoke online programme, developed by LCF, which will cover all aspects of business development from brand to sales to fashion and sustainability. They will also travel to London this August to attend a two week talent development programme, ahead of the February 2019 exhibition. This tailored cultural residency and business skills training will give the emerging designers the professional support that is often difficult to access, provided by some of the UK’s leading fashion and creative experts.
Image: Netherlands Designer Duran Lantink and Jan Hoek
The free exhibition is a key part of London Fashion Week, giving both the public and industry professionals the opportunity to discover emerging fashion from four continents: Africa, America, Asia and Europe and to celebrate its global relevance. The collections presented offer a balanced mix of womenswear and menswear exploring topical but universally shared issues and present new ideas and solutions that are shaping fashion globally.
In recognition of the participants’ creativity and innovation, an award will be presented to one designer during London Fashion Week February 2019. The winner will be decided by a panel of cultural and commercial fashion experts chaired by Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent and Chief Critic Vogue US; the same panel that selected the 16 designers earlier this year.