Net-a-Porter names winners of fourth Vanguard Education Fund

Luxury e-tailer Net-a-Porter has unveiled the four winners of its 2023 Vanguard Education Fund, an initiative launched alongside the British Fashion Council (BFC) that looks to support final-year BA students moving up in their careers.

Winners were selected by a notable judging panel, which included Tank magazine CEO and fashion director Caroline Issa; Perfect magazine creative director Jeanie Annan-Lewin; designer Nensi Dojaka and Net-a-Porter market director Libby Page.

The four winners were revealed to be Christopher De La Cruz, Izzy McKinlay, Tahar Al-Shekhly and Tj Finley, who each received a 12,500 pound bursary fund and were paired with two influential mentors.

Such individuals included designers Priya Ahluwalia, Toteme’s Elin Kling, Coperni founders Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, as well as founder of Up Next Designer Albert Ayal; fashion consultant and entrepreneur Yoyo Cao and Net-a-Porter content director Alice Casely-Hayford.

Central Saint Martins graduates led the way this year, each descending from different bachelor degrees, with BA Fashion Design with Knitwear making up the bulk of recipients.

While De La Cruz and Al-Shekhly explored themes of fluidity and gender in their collections, both commenting on identities within modern society as a source of their inspiration, Finley wanted their own designs to encourage people to confront their animalistic side.

Meanwhile, Izzy McKinlay, the only graduate of BA Fashion Design Womenswear to win, said her work was centred around “tangled memories, muted landscapes and abstract silhouettes”. Her garments integrated discarded mechanical pieces from local mechanics and 3D-printed abstract shapes using filament from ocean waste.