International Fashion Showcase changes format for LFW 2019

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 28, 2018

The British Council has overhauled its International Fashion Showcase to provide deeper support to a select group of international designers.

Instead of hosting a large exhibition with 80+ designers from countries around the world, the new version of the biannual support platform will invite only sixteen up-and-coming designers to showcase a series of installations at London Fashion Week February 2019.

Additionally, the designers will be supported through a bespoke online programme developed by the London College of Fashion, where they will learn everything from business development and branding to production to sustainability.

The selected designers will be also invited to a two-week talent development programme in London in August ahead of the February 2019 exhibition. The first week will include a residency at Somerset House Studios, where they will be supported by a range of studio artists whose skills and expertise range from ethical fashion and sustainability to tech. 

The second week will focus on a series of sessions with experts from London College of Fashion to review their business and brand development goals. During this time, the group of designers will be encouraged to explore collaboration options for their installations in February’s exhibition.

The 16 represented countries for IFS 2019 are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, India, Georgia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Vietnam.