At London Fashion Week February 2020, fashion students from the UK & select International Design Colleges are invited to design a line inspired by MTV that merges music, fashion and sustainability.
British Fashion Council (BFC), MTV, ICEBERG and River Island today announced the launch of the ’Music Meets Fashion Competition,’ at London Fashion Week February 2020. The competition will provide a unique opportunity for budding fashion design students, selected through the BFC Colleges Council network in the UK and select international design colleges in countries from Mexico to Australia, to produce catwalk and commercial pieces, inspired by music, fashion and sustainability. The winner’s line will be sold later this year with global fashion retailer River Island.
Five finalists, selected by a panel of judges, will bring their MTV-inspired runway pieces to life at London Fashion Week Men’s in June 2020 and be awarded £1,000 from MTV to cover the cost of samples. The ultimate winner will present their sustainable, ready-to-wear pieces at London Fashion Week in September 2020. In addition to invaluable work experience at Milan Fashion Week in September 2020 with ICEBERG, the designer’s MTV-inspired commercial designs will be sold in-stores and online globally, and MTV will cover their design college tuition for one year.
The panel of judges who will choose the competition winner includes ICEBERG’s Creative Director, James Long; Kerry Taylor, Executive Vice President of Youth and Entertainment, ViacomCBS Networks International; Caroline Rush, Chief Executive British Fashion Council and Naomi Dominque, Design Director from River Island.
The competition will be supported through MTV Breaks, an international MTV initiative that provides real-life opportunities to the next generation of creative talent around the world.
Taylor commented: “MTV prides itself on inspiring and elevating youth culture on a global scale. Fashion is one of the many ways fans connect with our brand. We’re thrilled to partner with British Fashion Council, ICEBERG and River Island on this unique worldwide competition to provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young designer to make their mark on the world.”
Caroline Rush, CEO British Fashion Council commented, “The BFC is uniquely placed to bring the creative industries together in support of arts education and we are delighted to work with MTV to bring this competition to life with one of our own British designers, James Long. It is an invaluable chance for fashion students to think carefully of how their future brands will impact the planet and to put sustainability at the heart of their designs.”
ICEBERG’s creative director James Long commented, “MTV has been a huge player in popular culture since I can remember with strong visual impact, fashion and music being a major part of my creative process. MTV’s culture and platform is representative of both mine and ICEBERG’s brand values of diversity and inclusivity with a positive fun attitude. British Fashion Council has been an incredible support throughout my career and it’s an honour to work with them and to have been asked to be both a judge and mentor.”
River Island’s Design Director, Naomi Dominque commented, “We’re delighted to be working alongside the British Fashion Council, MTV and ICEBERG on this exciting new project. With one of the largest in-house design teams on the UK high-street and over 60 years of fashion retail experience, we are advocates of discovering and supporting future design talent and are well-placed to help guide the designers in realising their creative vision, whilst also appealing to our customer and being sympathetic to our planets resources.”