Mary Katrantzou wins 2015 BFC Fashion Fund

Mary Katrantzou, otherwise known as the “queen of prints”, due to her exotic nature of design, has been announced as this year’s winner of the BFC Fashion Fund.

This entitles the 31-year-old designer to a grant of £200,000 along with ample business support and mentoring over the next 12 months. Mary Katrantzou is the first female winner of the funding since its launch in 2010, facing competition from the likes of Emilia Wickstead, Holly Fulton, Michael van der Ham, Osman and Sophia Webster. The Greek-born creative joins the high-profile rank of winners, which include Peter Pilotto, Nicholas Kirkwood, Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane and Erdem.

After her name was announced as the fashion fund winner, Katrantzou stated: “You know, I’ve applied before, but this time really is the most important year for us. You go through different stages of growth in your business and this past year specifically has been huge for us so it’s incredible to win now. Before the announcement I didn’t really think, ‘What if we win?’ Everyone is just so strong in different ways, and everyone needs the award for different reasons, that you never really consider. You are constantly called to raise your game by all the amazing talent that’s around you in London and that can inspire you to do great things. Having mentors like Alex Shulman, Sarah Mower, Caroline Rush and Natalie Massenet means you get that boost and the advice you need, which is really important to nurture your business commercially as well as creatively. I’m so grateful.”

Since the announcement, the London-based designer has revealed how she intends to spend the funding: “We need financial support to open our first shop in London, tighten up our operations in terms of how we develop and build a product, and to hire more people.”

“Mary Katrantzou is incredibly deserving of this year’s award. It was an extremely diverse shortlist but ultimately we all agreed that Mary has not only created a strong and hugely appealing identity for her work but that she has put in place measures that, along with the support of this prize, should ensure an exciting and successful next stage of her career,” commented Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue. Vogue, amongst other big names including Burberry and Harrods, are supporters of the funding, with Vogue also being highly involved in the funding decision-making.

Katrantzou has been making her mark on the fashion industry since her debut ready-to-wear collection was presented at London Fashion Week in 2009. Her designs have since been worn by the likes of Cate Blanchett, Alexa Chung and Lily James.

Emily Harris
Photo: Krisztian Pinter

For further information on Mary Katrantzou visit here.