This week, Coutts & Co, in partnership with the British Fashion Council, named the winners of the prestigious Fashion Forward Prize for 2011.
In past years, only one emerging designer has been awarded, but this year, prizes went to three designers, all very deserving. The prize is sponsorship for both Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter shows during London Fashion Week. Often just the stepping stone needed to raise a designer’s profile from emerging to established, the industry mentorship each designer receives is priceless.
The honorees are three very different designers, and they share more than ambition. Each designer has to impress critics and buyers at their respective presentations. This year’s winners, Meadham Kirchhoff, Todd Lynn, and Peter Pilotto, are all names we have heard before, but they haven’t yet made it to the main stage of international fashion. Past winners of this prize include Christopher Kane, Erdem, Marios Schwab, and Jonathan Saunders.