The British Fashion Council (BFC) NEWGEN is a prestigious talent support initiative that helps emerging UK-based fashion designers build their brands.
Launched in 1993, it has played a key role in fostering some of the biggest names in British fashion, including Alexander McQueen, Jonathan Anderson (JW Anderson), Kim Jones, and Grace Wales Bonner.
The scheme offers designers financial support, showcasing opportunities, and mentoring to develop critical skills to future proof their businesses.
The BFC, with support from Sarah Mower MBE, the Fashion Business Network and the NEWGEN panel, delivers individual mentoring and training sessions to assist the recipients as they develop their business infrastructure.
Recipients are identified by their creativity, strong aesthetic and innovative approach to design.
NEWGEN encompasses ready-to-wear and accessories including all categories such as shoes, bags, millinery, and jewellery, with different product categories being judged by specific panels.
The 2024/25 BFC NEWGEN recipients are:
LUEDER
LUEDER is unisex clothing label, founded by German fashion designer Marie Lueder.
The London-based brand is well-known for its distinctive blending of modern sportswear and the aesthetics of medieval armour, producing clothing that acts as “mental armour” for the modern individual.
In order to protect the wearer both physically and psychologically, LUEDER frequently explores themes of masculinity, mental health, and personal well-being in their designs.
LUEDER AW24 Catwalk Berlin Contemporary x Intervention
DI PETSA
London-based womenswear brand DI PETSA was established in 2019 by Greek designer Dimitra Petsa.
Known for its signature “wet-look” dresses, which have been worn by celebrities such as Bella Hadid, FKA Twigs, Lizzo, Doja Cat, and SZA, the labels designs symbolise self-acceptance and honour the fluid nature of the human form.
DI PETSA’s approach to design is rooted in intimacy and esoteric research, embracing all sizes, gender expressions, and the various phases of women’s changing bodies.
Charlie Constantinou
Charlie Constantinou’s eponymous label is celebrated for its innovative ready-to-wear collections that draw inspiration from extreme weather conditions, adaptability, and functionality.
The designs feature avant-garde silhouettes, combining organic and structured elements with a distinctive shrunken quilting technique that allows garments to adjust to various body types. Bungee straps and zip fastenings further enhance the versatility of each piece.
In his Spring 2025 collection, Constantinou – a graduate of Central Saint Martins – continued to showcase his unique approach to fashion, blending functionality with high-concept design.
Sinéad O’Dwyer
Since her 2018 graduation from the MA Fashion program at London’s Royal College of Art, Sinéad O’Dwyer’s self-named label has adamantly reframed common misconceptions around garments and the bodies they’re intended for.
Rallying against a sample-size-oriented design logic, her work explores silicone moulding, stretch and innovative pattern-making as technologies to comfortably accommodate femme-identifying bodies that have historically been precluded access to luxury ready-to-wear.
Sinéad O’Dwyer SS22 Domiciliary
Pauline Dujancourt
Pauline Dujancourt is a French-born, London-based fashion designer renowned for her innovative approach to womenswear, particularly in knitwear.
She studied fashion and textile design at École Duperré in Paris, before completing her MA in Fashion at Central Saint Martins. During her studies, she taught herself hand knitting, which became central to her design aesthetic.
Before establishing her own brand in 2022, Dujancourt gained experience with designers such as Simone Rocha, Rejina Pyo, and Alexander Wang. Her work is characterised by intricate textile processes like crochet and hand knitting, aiming to create unique and sensual silhouettes.
Kazna Asker
Celebrated for integrating community, activism, and cultural heritage into her work, designer Kazna Asker draws inspiration from her Yemeni roots and British upbringing, creating designs that blend traditional Middle Eastern attire with contemporary streetwear.
In 2022, Asker graduated from Central Saint Martins, becoming the first designer to present a hijabi collection at the institution’s MA Fashion show during London Fashion Week.
Asker’s work has been featured in publications like Vogue, Dazed, and The Face, whilst her debut collection, Watered By One Water, paid homage to her heritage by combining elements like thobes, abayas, and hijabs with modern streetwear, reflecting the cultural nuances of intergenerational immigrant experiences.
Chet Lo
Chet Lo is an Asian American fashion designer celebrated for his innovative knitwear, characterised by vibrant colours and distinctive spiked textures. Born in New York City, Lo moved to London in 2015 to attend Central Saint Martins, where he graduated from the BA Knitwear course in 2020.
After interning at Proenza Schouler, and Maison Margiela under John Galliano, Lo launched his eponymous label during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. His designs seamlessly blend elements of his Asian heritage with Western aesthetics, drawing inspiration from Japanese comics and retro-futuristic themes.
TOLU COKER
Based in London, Tolu Coker is a British-Nigerian fashion designer and multi-talented artist. In 2017, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design and Textile Print from Central Saint Martins. Her dual heritage has a significant impact on her work, which explores identity, culture, and social issues.
Coker’s designs are known for their illustrative and dynamic nature, often incorporating elements from her Yoruba heritage. She emphasises sustainability by using dead-stock fabrics and up-cycled materials, and her work extends beyond clothing to include illustrations, documentaries, and fashion films.
She has received multiple accolades, including the Diesel Award, Vogue Talents Award, and ITS Time For Coffee Award in 2018. In 2022, she was listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and was featured as one of five cover stars on British Vogue’s January 2024 ‘Sustainability Trailblazer’ issue.
Leo Carlton
Leo Carlton (they/them) combines VR sculpts, 3D scanning and printing with a test-lab of biomaterials. A transparent exploration into the convergence of the digital and physical realms with sustainable and renewable realities. Using 3D scans of a head, face or body lends to a bespoke process where using technology and natural plant based materials produces a wearable and ecologically-friendly outcome . This process is inclusive of all bodies.
The brand sets out to be a solution focused voice for education, debate, aspiration, inspiration and accountability. Leo hopes the work can be a positive proof of implementing and aiming for circular economies.
Karoline Vitto
Karoline Vitto has long been championed for her inclusive and body-positive approach to womenswear.
By placing the female form at the centre of her design process, emphasising and celebrating curves and folds that are often overlooked in mainstream fashion, Vitto’s work subverts traditional narratives about shape and size, focusing on accentuating the natural contours of the body.
Committed to inclusivity, Vitto offers garments ranging from UK sizes 8 to 28, ensuring a diverse range of body types are represented. All pieces are made in London, often using deadstock fabrics, reflecting her dedication to responsible resource use.
YAKU
YAKU was established in 2023 by St Albans-born and London-based designer Yaku Stapleton, a graduate of Leeds Beckett and Central Saint Martins.
Following the success of his MA collection, which won the L’Oréal Creative Award as judged by Ib Kamara, Yaku launched his namesake label with the series ‘The ImPossible Family Reunion in RPG Space’. This series channels themes of hope and belonging through Afro-Futurism, with each piece crafted to represent a fantastical version of Yaku’s family members as RPG characters in a limitless world.
This approach turns conceptual fantasy into wearable reality, featuring items like the 99-Strength Jackets and heat-textured ‘Zilla-skin’ tech-wear made from up-cycled nylon jackets, alongside six-armed warrior puffers filled with recycled bedding.
Steve O Smith
Steve O Smith, often abbreviated to SOS, is the eponymous brand of London-based fashion designer Steve O Smith. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Smith founded the label in 2017 after moving back to London from the United States.
Smith’s work is distinguished by the smooth integration of fashion and art. He often creates hundreds of sketches in a single session, beginning with quick, intuitive sketches. His designs are based on these drawings, which he uses to transfer the expressive lines and motions from paper to fabric. Smith views the process of creating clothing as an extension of his drawing process, using methods like fabric appliqué and creative pattern cutting to create pieces that capture the spontaneity and emotion of his initial sketches.
The Winter House
The Winter House is a British contemporary jewellery brand founded in 2022 by Creative Director Liam Winter. Informed by Winter’s background in film, storytelling is at the core of the brand’s visual language, crafting evocative and emotive collections that speak to the psyche.
The Winter House creates seasonal jewellery collections built upon a carry-over core market proposition, alongside conceptual, one of a kind avant-garde jewellery and sculptural works existing as a showcase of Winter’s creativity and progressive approach, forming the foundation of the brand’s offering.
MASHA POPOVA
Masha Popova is an eponymous brand of the Ukrainian born London based womenswear designer best known for her wearable high-fashion denim designs that fused fantasy with my Ukrainian roots and childhood memories.
The label is a melting pot of two worlds: late 20s century high fashion juxtaposed with the 90-00s clothing with its raw energy and carefree attitude. Masha Popova’s irreverent take on sensuality combined with playful turbulent draping and subversive use of materials, are tools that she uses to create an elegant yet care-free collection.
DERRICK
Luke Derrick is a menswear designer known for his innovative approach to tailoring, blending traditional techniques with modern, utilitarian elements. Originally from Oxford, England, Derrick graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2021, having gained experience at esteemed fashion houses such as Brioni, Alexander McQueen, Dunhill, and on Savile Row.
Luke launched his eponymous label DERRICK in 2021, with the goal of producing stylish yet practical clothing. His designs frequently include fitted items made from technical textiles with the goal of offering comfort without sacrificing style.
Everyday urban life, especially Derrick’s observations from late-night strolls around London, serves as the inspiration for his collections, which produce apparel that captures the vibrant and varied personality of the city.
ANCUȚA SARCA
Renowned for her innovative approach to sustainable footwear, Ancuța Sarca is a Romanian-born designer who specialises in creating unique sneaker-heel hybrids by up-cycling vintage materials, blending elements of sportswear and luxury fashion.
Sarca launched her eponymous label in 2019 at London Fashion Week, supported by Fashion East, and has since garnered attention from high-profile celebrities, including Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and Cher, who have been spotted wearing her distinctive creations.
In recognition of her contributions to the fashion industry, Ancuța received the FNAA Emerging Talent Award in 2023.
Johanna Parv
Originally from Estonia, London-based womenswear and accessory designer Johanna Parv is well-known for her creative fusion of style and utility.
She founded her own clothing line after completing the MA Fashion program at Central Saint Martins in 2020, specialising in designing clothes that fit the active lifestyles of working women, especially those who ride bicycles through busy cities.
Parv’s designs, which use technical materials like Dyneema, wool ripstop, and water-repellent linens, are distinguished by their functional yet stylish aesthetic. Her clothes frequently have transformative features like pockets and zippers that enable flexibility and unrestricted movement—two things that are crucial for women juggling work, play, and commuting.
Parv continued to investigate the relationship between fashion and function in her Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear collection, showcasing items that speak to the needs of contemporary women.
