Fashion Fringe 2012 Finalists announced at Burberry HQ

Two days ago three lucky finalists were chosen to be up in the running for the Fashion Fringe 2012 award by Burberry Chief Creative Officer, Christopher Bailey at the Burberry Global Headquarters in London.

If you not familiar with Fashion Fringe, it is a truly wonderful organisation founded by Colin McDowell & IMG Fashion to find and support the brightest, most talented up and coming designers – to mentor, provide studio space & financial assistance for them. The eventual winners of the Fashion Fringe award go on to present their own catwalk show at London Fashion Week. It is thanks to Fashion Fringe that we have seen the careers of some great names flourish in the fashion industry, including: Basso & Brooke (winners 2004), Erdem (2005), Gavin Douglas (2006), Aminaka Wilmont (2007), Eun Jeong (2008), JENA.THEO (2009), Corrie Nielsen (2010) and FYODOR GOLAN (2011).

I am extremely honoured to be working alongside the Fashion Fringe team to support them, and the designers who are competing for the prize. Two evenings ago, I attended the private event at the Burberry Global HQ where I saw the finalists and had a lovely chat. I felt tremendous joy meeting up with Colin McDowell (a truly charming, visionary man with extensive knowledge of the industry) and the equally charming ladies from the Fashion Fringe team. Christopher Bailey is a new member of the team, sitting as Chair for the next two years – he is, as Burberry’s big boss, without a doubt responsible for turning a declining luxury house into a global powerhouse. It was a tremendous honour to spend time in his presence and finally get to meet him!

When Christopher came on the stage, he started off by paying a glowing tribute towards Colin McDowell before announcing Vita Gottlieb, Haizhen Wang and Teija Eilola as the lucky three designers who will be challenging for the prestigious award in the months leading to September, when the winner will be decided.

Once all the photos were taken by members of the Press, we all spent some time mingling and I had a chat with Vita Gottlieb about how she was feeling. Vita told me that she felt nervously excited in the days before the announcement but now that she knows she is in the final, she is feeling very confident. Incredibly, she had been so busy that evening, she hadn’t yet informed her family by the time I had began talking to her. I feel excite for Vita and am going to be tracking her progress. We already communicate via Twitter and I hope to do the same with Haizhen and Teija.

Here are some quotes from the talented trio:

Haizhen Wang: “I can’t believe it. I’m really excited and so thrilled this has happened to me. I feel so encouraged to keep working hard to achieve my dreams. This is it – this is the opportunity to take my work to a bigger stage.”

Teija Eilola: “I’m incredibly excited with the wonderful news. I’m really looking forward to working with Christopher – his recognition means so much. I’m looking forward to an exciting time ahead.”

Vita Gottlieb: “I’m feeling so elated. This is an extraordinary opportunity. I’m very much looking forward to the next stage; developing my collection, learning from the mentors and working with Christopher.”

Later this year in September, Christopher Bailey will handpick one designer as the overall winner. The winner will receive a two-year development package to help set up and sustain their business; which includes financial support and business planning advice, further mentoring and a fully equipped studio at Somerset House.

Sadly, this photo turned out blurry as I had put the camera on centre focus before passing it onto my good friend Michael. My fault.

Many friends and acquaintances have asked me what meeting Christopher Bailey was like. Christopher is incredibly friendly and extremely polite. When he walked on stage, I was standing amongst a large group of crowd and he gave me a smile. I couldn’t believe it. Later on, when mingling, Christopher stayed a short while speaking with some VIPs but before he left, he came over to me, shook my hand and we had a brief chat. He is honestly one of the most relaxed, polite and friendliest people I have ever met. Eager to please. Full of smiles. It really was a dream come true.

Walking around inside the Burberry Global Headquarters was quite surreal. Security is tight all over and there is always someone right by the lift, to take you to whatever floor you need to reach. The architecture is breathtaking. I walked around, wondering what it would be like to be a fly on the wall on a typical day during working hours. Loved every minute of it.

SKETCHES FROM THE FINALISTS

Vita:

Haizhen:

Teija:

WATCH THE SLIDESHOW TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT:

Fashion Fringe 2012 timeline