BFC to honour Joe Casely-Hayford with new MA scholarship

The British Fashion Council (BFC) is recognising the late designer Joe Casely-Hayford with a new MA scholarship for students with a Black or mixed heritage, alongside a posthumous special recognition award at this year's The Fashion Awards.

In a statement, the BFC said that the scholarship and award pay tribute to Casely-Hayford’s “enduring legacy and recognise his incredible contributions to fashion and culture,” and the late designer would be honoured at The Fashion Awards taking place at the Royal Albert Hall on December 4.

The 2023/24 BFC Foundation Joe Casely-Hayford MA scholarship has been designed to support, celebrate and spotlight young talent from Black and mixed heritage backgrounds as they start their journey in the fashion industry. They need to have an offer from, or be studying for, an MA at a BFC member university in the UK.

This inaugural recipient of the MA scholarship is Taya Francis from Nottingham Trent University.

The BFC added that the scholarship highlights Casely-Hayford’s contributions to the fashion industry while also recognising “Black British culture and its far reaching and impactful influence on wider British culture, especially its creative industries”.

Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, said: “We are thrilled to launch this scholarship and play our part in strengthening and future-proofing the pipeline of fashion talent from all backgrounds all while paying tribute to the genius of Joe Casely-Hayford.

“This provides the perfect launch pad for us to announce Casely-Hayford’s posthumous Special Recognition Award which he will be honoured with at The Fashion Awards 2023. Casely-Hayford was one of the most talented and groundbreaking designers of our time, and he catapulted London’s reputation as a fashion and cultural hub on a global stage. He paved the way for generations of designers and the UK fashion industry is indebted to his unique vision, designs and unwavering support of young fashion talent. We look forward to honouring him in December.”