Jonathan Saunders Wins Fashion Fund

Scottish-born Jonathan Saunders has been named the third winner of the 2012 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. Following in the footsteps of Erdem and Christopher Kane, Saunders has won a £200,000 prize and a 12-month tailored mentoring scheme.

The fund aims to reward a talented designer on the merits of his or her collections and international industry reputation. Saunders' impressive showings over the past few seasons have resulted in international attention and his soft feminine aesthetic has become somewhat of a trademark. “I’m so happy about winning the fund. The last 12 months have been an exciting time for me and my team and I’m very proud of all their hard work," said Saunders. "We have many exciting plans for the near future and this along with the support network provided by the BFC will enable us to achieve our goals.”

“I am delighted that Jonathan has won this year's award," said Alexandra Shulman, Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue and chair of the judging panel. "His recent collections have shown that he is a designer who can provide beautiful clothes that women enjoy wearing and he is in a great position to build on his current success.”

In a manner similar to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in America, the inner workings of which can be seen in an exciting documentary series, the nine shortlisted designers were invited to present their collections and future prospects to an impressive panel of judges. The other shortlisted designers — Marios Schwab, Mary Katrantzou, Meadham Kirchhoff, Nicholas Kirkwood, Peter Pilotto, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Ilincic and Zoe Jordan — will also have some access to the mentoring panel. 

Images: IMAXtree, LondonFashionWeek.co.uk