Mary Katrantzou bags BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund 2015

Greek-born, London-based fashion designer Mary Katrantzou has won this year’s BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, the British Fashion Council said on Wednesday.

The distinction – including a 200,000-pound grant – is billed as a 12-month mentoring program aimed at aiding designers take their business to the next level. The fund was established in 2008 and past winners include Peter Pilotto, Nicholas Kirkwood, Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane and Erdem.

According to Alexandra Shulman, British Vogue editor and chair of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, Katrantzou was “incredibly deserving of this year’s award. It was an extremely diverse short list 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.”

Joining Kantrantzou on the short list this year were fellow designers Emilia Wickstead, Holly Fulton, Michael van der Ham, Mother of Pearl, Osman and Sophia Webster, who presented their collections and five-year business plans to the Fund committee.

Born in Athens in 1983, Katrantzou studied architecture at Rhode Island School of Design before focusing on fashion and textile design at London’s Central Saint Martins. In 2010 she earned the Swiss Textiles Award and its 100,000-euro cash prize. Besides working on her own label, Katrantzou has collaborated with a series of brands and retailers including Topshop, Longchamp and more recently sportswear giant Adidas.