LONDON — Peter Pilotto is the winner of the 2014 British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. Designers Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos will receive mentoring over the next 12 months as well as a grant of 200,000 pounds, or $330,000, to help them reach the next stage in their business.
The announcement was made Tuesday night at The Grill Room at the Café Royal Hotel in London.
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Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue and chair of the fund, said the pair deserved the award because “they have remained true to their vision of a print and color focused brand, but have managed to expand and grow the business to a level where they can now compete on an international stage.”
The designers, who met while studying at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2000, launched their label in 2007 and their label was shortlisted for the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund in 2012. Wholesale clients include Liberty, Selfridges, Net-a-porter.com, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Among the design labels shortlisted for the award were Emilia Wickstead, House of Holland, Mary Katrantzou, Osman, and Zoe Jordan. All presented their collections and five-year business plans to the fund’s judging committee, which is made up of industry experts and representatives from businesses that support the fund.
Past winners of the fund, which was established in 2008, include Nicholas Kirkwood, Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane and Erdem.