Fashion Fringe announces finalists

Last night at Burberry’s headquarters in London, Christopher Bailey announced the three designers he personally selected as finalists for this year’s Fashion Fringe award. The designers who will be taking part in the Fashion Fringe catwalk

showcase during London Fashion Week in September are: Haizhen Wang; Tieja Eilola; and Vita Gottlieb.

The announcement came after the designers took part in two days of having their technical abilities reviewed and critiqued at the London College of Fashion and business plans assessed at Horseferry House during an interview with Christopher Bailey and Colin McDowell, with Bailey selecting the final three.

On choosing the three finalists, Christopher Bailey, the 2012 Chairman and sole judge commented: “It has been such an incredible experience to be involved in the selection of our three Fashion Fringe Finalists Haizhen Wang, Teija Eilola and Vita Gottlieb. It goes without saying that every application we received was strong and this, in combination with the level of technical skill demonstrated and the amount of effort and attention to detail, was just so impressive.

“It really is an honour, in partnership with Fashion Fringe, to be able to give these Finalists the opportunity to spend the summer doing what they love and honing their craft. I cannot wait to see the fruits of their hard work in September – this really is just the beginning of their journey."

The trio will now embark on the Fashion Fringe programme, which begins with mentoring from influential names within the industry. As well as sessions provided by Fashion Fringe Partners, for the first time this year the Finalists will receive an exclusive opportunity to learn from the world-leading teams at Burberry.

All three Finalists will also be provided with financial support and studios at the London College of Fashion to create their Fashion Fringe collections, which will be shown in September during London Fashion Week. At the catwalk showcase Bailey will select one designer as the overall winner, and they 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.

Image: Christopher Bailey and Colin McDowell with the Fashion Fringe
2012 Finalists: Vita Gottlieb, Haizhen Wang and Teija Eilola.