Tania Fares Appointed As Co-Chair Of The BFC

BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL CHARITY APPOINTS CO-CHAIRS TO HELP MEET TARGET OF

£2,000,000 TO SUPPORT BRITISH CREATIVE TALENT

• Philanthropists and Investors Tania Fares & Narmina Marandi have been appointed Co-Chairs of the BFC Foundation and tasked to bring together an International Advisory Committee to support the work of the charity and the development of its Patronage Programme, aiming to secure 40 Founder

• Aizel Trudel, Dylan Jones, Edward Enninful, Elizabeth Saltzman, Imran Amed, Ingie Chalhoub, Lauren Santo Domingo, Jefferson Hack and Yana Peel have all agreed to join the Advisory Committee this year and have already made their impact in the development of the Patronage Programme

• 31 Founder Patrons have already committed their support, including Daphne Guinness, Emma Weymouth, José and Daniela Neves, Maya Jama, Ruth Chapman, Sabrina Elba, and the Cara ..Delevingne Foundation

The British Fashion Council (BFC) founded the BFC Foundation in 2019, which in its first two years received total donations of £3,200,000 through fundraising efforts of all its talent support initiatives; funds from the BFC surplus generated from the organisation’s activities including The Fashion Awards; and a call to BFC stakeholders to support fundraising to help businesses survive the COVID crisis. The charity (Registered Number: 1185152) supports the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on education, grant-giving, and business mentoring and aims to raise £2,000,000 per annum to maintain and grow its grant giving programmes.

Creating pathways to support British fashion talent is at the core of the BFC. Now, more than ever, there is a need to continue and grow this support, increase the diversity of the talent pool and support businesses that are leading the way in terms of environmental and community impact. To achieve this, the BFC invited philanthropists and investors Tania Fares and Narmina Marandi to become co-chairs of the BFC Foundation, and work with the BFC to develop a BFC Foundation Advisory Committee and

kick-start an influential patronage programme. Tania, Narmina and Advisory Committee members Aizel Trudel, Dylan Jones, Edward Enninful, Elizabeth Saltzman, Imran Amed, Ingie Chalhoub, Lauren Santo Domingo, Jefferson Hack and Yana Peel aim to secure 40 Founder Patrons. With already 31 confirmed in just 4 months, they are now focused on further extending the patron programme as well as opportunities for corporate partners to lend their support.

The BFC Foundation Trustees, Co-Chairs and Advisory Committee are delighted to welcome and thank the first Founder Patrons of the charity who pledged support and play an integral role in the new Charitable Patronage Programme for British fashion talent: Aizel Trudel, Anna Sweeting, Belma Gaudio, Cara Delevingne Foundation, Daphne Guinness, Emma Weymouth, Eve Henderson, Felicia Brocklebank, Ingie Chalhoub, Jordana Reuben, José and Daniela Neves, Karen Ruimy, Kate Haslett, Kristin Olafs, Lady Bamford, Lauren Santo Domingo, Mala Gaonkar, Maya Jama, Maysam Bisharat, Megha Mittal, Nasiba Adilova, Ruth Chapman, Sabrina Elba, Sara Bahamdan, Sian Westerman, Sofia Barattieri-Weinstein, Sumru Ramsey, Yana Peel, Zoë Law.

Tania Fares & Narmina Marandi commented: “Now more than ever it is extremely important to be able to support young talent. The past year has been really challenging and as we look ahead to the future, we are delighted to work with the British Fashion Council to bring together a group of benefactors from all around the world who will contribute to the success of British fashion. Our aim is for the Advisory Committee to grow and with it, the support designers and students receive.”

Caroline Rush, BFC Chief Executive said: “I would like to thank Tania, Narmina and the Advisory Committee for accepting our invitation and coming together so quickly to support our fundraising efforts. Creative talent is the lifeblood of our industry and if the past year taught us something is the importance of building sustainable and purpose-led businesses. I look forward to working with the Co-Chairs, Advisory Committee and Founder Patrons to support all the creatives who are not only incredibly innovative but also lead by example with their environmental and social choices.”

The BFC Foundation is solely reliant on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and companies and is funded through charitable donations including those received from BFC Patrons and Partners. This year, the BFC Foundation will activate all four Talent Support Initiatives: BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund, BFC NEWGEN in partnership with TikTok and BFC Fashion Trust.

Clearpay, London Fashion Week’s Principal Partner, will underwrite funding gaps in the schemes, making the ‘Buy-Now Pay-Later’ company the first ever partner to support all initiatives in addition to London Fashion Week. TikTok joins NEWGEN as Principal Partner, supporting the BFC in creating a