Lifestyle: Selfridges searches for future generation of fashion designers
TALENTED and emerging designers of the future are being sought by Birmingham department store Selfridges as part of its seminal Bright Young Things project.
The store houses some of the most desirable fashion collections from the world’s leading designers, while also encouraging and nurturing up-and-coming talent.
To mark the fifth anniversary of Selfridges’ Bright Young Things initiative, the store is keen to honour the legacy of the project and invest in the future of the fashion and design industry.
For the first time, Selfridges is seeking candidates who put sustainability at the heart of their fashion practice. The store has partnered with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion (a research centre of the University of the Arts, based at London College of Fashion) to help discover and celebrate the Bright New Things who will be the change leaders in the industry.
The selection process will be open to all ages.
Adam Hockney, general manager of Selfridges Birmingham, said: “This is an open call to the brightest fashion talents from Birmingham and the region. If you have a distinctive fashion flare and a strong sustainable ethos at the heart of your practice, we would very much like to hear from you. We are looking for bold, progressive ideas which have the potential to lead the change in the industry and make sustainable fashion more mainstream.”
The 2016 Bright New Things winner will be offered exposure in Selfridges Birmingham’s windows, retail space and online, as well as having access to Selfridges’ experts in buying, finance, legal and creative direction.
Last year Selfridges launched a nationwide search for mature creatives for the first Bright Old Things twist on the recurring project. The Birmingham store selected Den Woods, a 60-year-old actress-turned-chairmaker from Redditch, and Sally Peplow, a 52-year-old teaching assistant-turned-textile artist from Northfield.
Both ladies had done a career U-turn later in life, and decided to pursue their passions. They were given creative control of Selfridges’ windows for six weeks with their designs being transformed into reality, and were seen by thousands of shoppers during this time.
This was made even greater a few months later when their designs also featured as part of the Birmingham Made Me Expo held to celebrate all things designed and made in the city.
Applicants for the latest initiative should email birminghambright@selfridges.co.uk with a description of how they intend to put sustainability at the heart of their project. It should be a maximum of 500 words.
Each application should include three images of the applicants work, with a link to their website. Submissions must be received by Friday October 9.
A panel of Selfridges experts will make the selection. Shortlisted candidates will be informed in October and be available from then until January 2016 for potential on site meetings, concept and product development, window installation and promotional content creation.
