Topman sponsors NEWGEN MEN at London Fashion Week
British Fashion Council launches NEWGEN MEN sponsored by Topman and announces first recipients for Spring/Summer 2010
London, UK ---- The British Fashion Council (BFC) announces the launch of its new designer support initiative NEWGEN MEN http://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/newgenmen sponsored by Topman http://www.topman.com.
Following in the footsteps of its sister scheme NEWGEN, it will provide menswear designers with showcase funding and the opportunity to use the official BFC show venue at London Fashion Week's (LFW) new home Somerset House. The inaugural recipients of NEWGEN MEN, Carolyn Massey and James Long, will show their collections during LFW's menswear day, on Wednesday 23rd September 2009.
Carolyn and James were selected by a panel of key opinion formers from media and retail including Charlie Porter from Fantastic Man, Gary Edgley from Selfridges, Gordon Richardson from Topman, Lulu Kennedy from Fashion East, Jeremy Langmead from Esquire and Terry Betts from Harvey Nichols. NEWGEN MEN follows on from the success of the MAN show at LFW 2008, and will support emerging menswear talent with business support and showcasing opportunities at London's dedicated menswear day which will take place for the second season on the last day of LFW.
Simon Ward, Joint Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council commented, "NEWGEN has helped launch the careers of some of Britain's highest profile womenswear designers and we hope that NEWGEN MEN will support London's future menswear stars and become a key part of the British Fashion Council's designer development and showcasing programme. It is an initiative that we have been keen to launch and is a fitting legacy in our 25th year."
Sarah Mower, the BFC's Ambassador of Emerging Talent said, "Over the past couple of years, the stream of talent in menswear that has been coming out of London has turned into a torrent. The arrival of NEWGEN MEN puts in place a support system to nurture this spontaneous outpouring of creativity for the future."
Gordon Richardson, Design Director at Topman, who was also on the selection panel adds, "Topman has been nurturing emerging menswear designers over the past four years and is proud to further that support with sponsorship of NEWGEN MEN. NEWGEN MEN is an exciting initiative that rightfully positions menswear at the forefront of fashion, providing a deserved platform for the very best menswear maturing talent."
London Fashion Week's womenswear shows will run from Friday 18th September 2009 - Tuesday 22nd September 2009, and menswear collections will be shown on Wednesday 23rd September 2009. LFW will be located at Somerset House, The Strand WC2.
For more information on the NEWGEN MEN designers visit
http://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/newgenmen. Registration for LFW is now open, please go to
http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk.
Notes to editors
About NEWGEN and British Fashion Council- The British Fashion Council was set up in 1983 to promote British Fashion and coordinate
this promotion through fashion weeks, exhibitions and showcasing events
- The NEWGEN womenswear sponsorship was established in 1993, acting as a promotional launch pad for young designers, attracting media profile, orders and investment whilst offering encouragement and support for new talent. Topshop is the sponsor of NEWGEN
- Previous NEWGEN winners include Alexander McQueen, Antonio Berardi, Clements Ribeiro, Julien Macdonald, Matthew Williamson, Boudicca, Sophia Kokosalaki, Giles Deacon, Jonathan Saunders and Gareth Pugh
- Sarah Mower was recently appointed the British Fashion Council's first Ambassador for Emerging Talent (May 2009)
-London Fashion Week is owned and organised by the British Fashion Council
- MAN is a joint partnership between TOPMAN and Fashion East. Born nine seasons ago, MAN strives to promote and support young British menswear talent offering young designers the chance to show alongside Topman Design at LFW. This season's three recipients are Christopher Shannon, J.W. Anderson and Katy Eary
About Topman- Topman first started trading in 1978
- There are now 185 Topman stores in the UK. Topman Oxford Circus regularly sees 75,000 customers each week
- There are Topman stores in over sixty cities worldwide including America, China, Japan and Russia
- Topman.com regularly ranks #2 store next to the Oxford Circus Flagship in the brand's portfolio with over 280,000 unique visits every week
About Carolyn MasseyCarolyn Massey, a 28 year old London based menswear designer, completed her MA at the Royal College of Art in June 2005. After 'frustration, boredom and demand' she launched her self-named label, Carolyn Massey in June 2006 in Paris. Carolyn Massey is known for her quintessentially elegant English cuts and details, a detail obsessive, her work concentrates on what it takes to be a gentleman, and how this has been appropriated during times of civil or social unrest.
About James LongJames Long is a menswear designer and accessories specialist who graduated from the Royal College of Art (London) in 2007 with an MA in Menswear and Accessories. He debuted his own name collection at London Fashion Week's MAN show (a TOPMAN and Fashion East initiative) in February 2007, working with AnOther Man / Dazed & Confused menswear editor Bryan McMahon on styling. After what many reported as MAN's best show to date, Long was reselected to show with MAN for the following two seasons.
ContactKeep up-to-date with all the activities of the Topman Oxford Circus Flagship store unveiling on the Topman Blog http://blog.topman.com and follow Topman on Twitter http://twitter.com/TopmanUK.
For press enquiries regarding NEWGEN MEN at London Fashion Week please contact: Gemma Ebelis, PR Manager, British Fashion Council, telephone: +44 (0) 20 636 7788/ (0)7802 393 411
For international press enquiries please contact:
Katie Manderson, British Fashion Council, Tel: +44 (0) 20 636 7788 / (0) 7884 382 663
For designers wishing to apply for NEWGEN MEN please contact:
Katie Bain, British Fashion Council, telephone: +44 (0) 20 7636 7788,
For Topman enquiries, please contact:
Kelly Reed at the Topman Press Office, telephone: +44 (0) 20 7927 1484
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