On Tuesday, 8 October, Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive, British Fashion Council (BFC), and Desirée Bollier, Chair and Chief Merchant of Value Retail Management, creator and operator of The Bicester Village Shopping Collection, welcomed British fashion designers, members of the press and influencers to celebrate the opening of the British Fashion Council Designer Pop-up at Bicester Village.
Guests included Tania Fares and Sian Westerman, Co-chairs of the BFC Fashion Trust, as well as designers Choas, Sophia Webster, Rixo, House of Holland, Racil, Paper London, Hillier Bartley, Camilla Elphick, Holly Fulton, Phoebe English, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Huishan Zhang, Alighieri, Teatum Jones, Teija and Born in the Sun.
The BFC Designer Pop-up, which returns to Bicester Village for a second year, showcases 30 British designer businesses which have been curated by the British Fashion Council and represent the creative and innovative talent found throughout the country. The pop-up offers an unparalleled platform for exposure to fledgling designers, many of whom have never traded in bricks and mortar before, as well as an important introduction for established British brands to the Collection’s discerning international guests.
This year’s line-up includes breakthrough prodigies such as Grace Wales Bonner, Camilla Elphick and Phoebe English, as well as established brands such as ERDEM, Hillier Bartley, Huishan Zhang, J&M Davidson, Mary Katrantzou, Paper London, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Racil and Sophia Webster.
In an exciting statement to the press, Caroline Rush CBE announced that the partnership between the BFC and The Bicester Village Shopping Collection will extend to China in 2020. It will continue to comprise both a pop-up, offering a free trade opportunity in China for its featured designers, as well as the Business of Retail mentorship programme, providing business development expertise specifically tailored to the Chinese market for participating designers. The extended partnership presents an unprecedented opportunity for UK talent to receive support to enter the market and grow awareness of their brands with the Chinese customer.
Bicester Village is open until 8 pm from Monday to Wednesday and until 9 pm from Thursday to Saturday until the end of October.