The British Fashion Council (BFC) announces the shortlist for the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund supported by Vertu. The shortlist includes Christopher Raeburn, Christopher Shannon, E. Tautz, Lou Dalton and Richard Nicoll. The judging panel agreed that each of the shortlisted designers were in a strong position to develop into a global designer brand and ready for the level of support the fund offers. The shortlisted designers will participate in a mentoring programme developed by the BFC over the next two months, where industry experts will provide guidance on topics including branding, leadership, commercial retail, e-tail and wholesale and digital innovation. The Fund provides one designer with a bespoke, high level mentoring support programme over a twelve month period, as well as a £150,000 grant to provide necessary infrastructure to take them to the next stage in their business and £50,000 value in kind services. The Fund is aimed at businesses that have been trading for a minimum of three years, with UK and international stockists and have graduated through the existing BFC talent support schemes or are at a similar stage in their business.

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