The British Fashion Council has announced the emerging menswear talents who will receive NEWGEN MEN support, sponsored by TOPMAN to showcase their SS16 collections at London Collections Men.
 
Ready-to-Wear menswear brands, Bobby Abley (catwalk), Cottweiler (presentation), and PIETER (presentation) join the existing NEWGEN MEN recipients: Agi & Sam (catwalk), Alex Mullins (presentation), Astrid Andersen (catwalk), CMMN SWDN (presentation), Craig Green (catwalk), Diego Vanassibara (installation), Kit Neale (salon show), Nasir Mazhar (catwalk) and Vidur (installation).
 
British Fashion Council and TOPMAN celebrated past and present NEWGEN MEN recipients at an event hosted by GREY GOOSE and Soho House that saw London Collections Men ambassador Nick Grimshaw, Sibling's Cozette McCreery and Ponystep's Richard Mortimer DJ to guests which included press, buyers, industry influencers and ambassadors.
 
Caroline Rush toasted winners with GREY GOOSE Le Fizz, GREY GOOSE Rendez-Vous, GREY GOOSE Soho House Aperitif and GREY GOOSE Pear de Lune which were specially created for the evening by GREY GOOSE Global Ambassador, Joe McCanta. The canapé menu featured honey glazed roast pork, risotto, pea, mint, goats cheese and duck rillettes, walnuts and dried fruit.
 
Jason Griffiths, Marketing Director of TOPMAN said: “June will see yet another very strong line-up for NEWGEN MEN at London Collections Men. We at TOPMAN are very proud to be the continued sponsor for this important award – and are looking forward to seeing what the cream of emerging British menswear has to offer this season. The list of recipients includes designers whose shows are quickly becoming essential must-sees on the schedule and we are delighted to welcome three new names to the NEWGEN MEN roster in Bobby Abley, Cottweiler and PIETER.”
 
Gordon Richardson, Creative Director of TOPMAN said: “NEWGEN MEN SS16 sees another exciting designer line up guaranteed to inspire us all with their fearless creativity and desire for change. I can't wait!”
 
As well as receiving showcasing opportunities the recipients are given financial support and business mentoring. The support aims to build their businesses commercially and help them develop relationships with key press and buyers. The BFC is working with DLA Piper and Baker Tilly to provide legal, commercial and accounting advice for the designers.
 
Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the BFC, commented: “NEWGEN MEN is globally recognised as an identifier of talent and celebrates an industry that is growing rapidly, providing much needed support for the emerging businesses that will one day sit at the helm of the menswear sector. The opportunity to showcase a collection at London Collections Men and the key mentoring support that this initiative offers could not be awarded to twelve more deserving designers, each a unique and exciting success story in the making. ”
 
NEWGEN MEN was established in September 2009, building on TOPMAN and Fashion East's successful MAN initiative, and has supported designers including Christopher Shannon, J.W. Anderson, James Long Lee Roach and Sibling. It has been instrumental in raising the profile of emerging British menswear designers through London Collections Men, a showcase of London's menswear, style and culture to a global audience.
 
The NEWGEN MEN committee is made up of: Ben Banks, Four Marketing; Catherine Hayward, Esquire; Charlie Porter, Financial Times; Damien Paul, MATCHESFAHION.COM; Darren Skey, Harvey Nichols; Gordon Richardson, TOPMAN; Jason Griffiths, TOPMAN; Lulu Kennedy, Fashion East; Robert Johnston, GQ; Sam Lobban, MR PORTER. Members of the BFC on the committee include Anna Orsini, Caroline Rush, Laura Hinson, Michelle de Conto, Narmin Mohammadi and Simon Ward.