Today, the British Fashion Council (BFC) and eBay announces the launch of a new initiative, BFC Contemporary, sponsored by eBay. BFC Contemporary aims to strengthen the UK’s contemporary ready-to-wear and accessory offering by providing fashion designers with a programme that delivers mentorship and offers strategic commercial opportunities. The British Fashion Council and eBay will work closely with the selected designers to support and build their strategies, focusing on brand concepts, production, budgets, scalability, online and offline growth and consumer experience. The mentoring sessions will be tailored to the needs of each designer including access to pro-bono expertise from industry specialists. The new scheme has been created in response to increasing demand for worldwide contemporary fashion. The participants were selected for their creative excellence, commercial potential and originality in the contemporary arena. The 2014 BFC Contemporary recipients are: Alexis Barrell, Georgia Hardinge, Paper London, Prism and Zoë Jordan. As part of the launch season, each designer will create a limited edition item that captures the essence of their signature aesthetic. To celebrate London Fashion Week these items will be sold in a limited edition run, on the first ever BFC Contemporary shop on eBay.co.uk to 18 million shoppers this September. The BFC Contemporary shop will be located within the new Fashion Collective destination on eBay.co.uk; a dedicated space that hosts a wide selection of clothing, shoes and accessories, directly available from a variety of recognised retailers and brands. The inaugural designers were invited to apply by the BFC and eBay however in 2015 official applications will be open to all designers looking for BFC Contemporary support.

www.britishfashioncouncil.com
@bfc

www.ebay.co.uk
@eBay_UK
@eBay_Fashion

@alexis_barrell
@paper_london
@PRISMAnnaLaub
@ZoeJordanStudio
@hardingegeorgia