With past members like Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, Mary Katrantzou, and Christopher Kane under its belt, the British Fashion Council's NEWGEN programme is the kind of club any young designer would be overjoyed to join. So, break out the bubbly and sprinkle some confetti — two new(ish) faces have some major celebrating to do.
Simone Rocha and
dress-detester J.W. Anderson
have been announced as the recipients of NEWGEN catwalk sponsorship for the fall '13 shows, while Marques' Almeida, Lucas Nascimento, Sister by Sibling, JJS Lee, Christopher Raeburn, and Nasir Mazhar will also stage NEWGEN-sponsored presentations.
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"This season’s winners are a snapshot of what London is now — a varied group of vivid individualists, from many countries," says Sarah Mower, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent and chair of the NEWGEN selection committee. "They’re a brilliant reflection of the energy of a city which enables so many talents to settle and shine."
Besides marking yet another major coup for Anderson, who has
just been named the new designer at Versus, the NEWGEN announcement also signals the star-in-the-making status of Nicholas Kirkwood's shoe prodigy
Sophia Webster, who has been promoted from a sponsored exhibition to a full-fledged presentation.
While we're looking forward to an expanded collection of Webster's killer kicks, we'll also be keeping our eyes peeled for footwear from Liam Fahy and tailored pieces from Paula Gerbase's 1205 line, both of whom will stage NEWGEN exhibitions alongside Palmer/Harding, Maarten van der Horst, and Huishan Zhang.
Nothing like some fresh blood to keep our sartorial senses sharp.
Photo: Courtesy of J.W. Anderson