Entrepreneurship

The fallout from the collapse of Matches Fashion continues to ricochet through Britain’s fashion ecosystem.

The Los Angeles-based accessories label has been a well-kept secret in the industry, but founders Yang Pei and Stephanie Li are hoping to change that through new acquisitions, opening brick-and-mortar stores and using AI to speed up the design and production process.

Designer Carly Mark sparked conversation about what it takes to make it as an emerging designer in New York when she announced she was shutting her ready-to-wear line and moving to London. On Thursday she held her last sample sale.

To stabilise their businesses brands are honing in on what their particular consumer wants to buy, introducing new categories and starting conversations.

That’s the promise of Zellerfeld, a 3D-printing partner to Louis Vuitton and Moncler that’s becoming a platform for emerging designers to easily make and sell footwear of their own.

With a new heavyweight backer in Italian firm Style Capital — which helped Zimmermann secure a billion dollar valuation — the French contemporary womenswear brand has ambitions to go global. But it sits in a competitive and hard-to-crack category.

After a year that saw the investment coffers dry up in fashion and beauty, 2024 brings a renewed sense of hope — but only for brands that meet an exhaustive criteria.

Twojeys has driven multi-million-euro sales of its accessibly priced jewels to Spanish Gen-Z shoppers by pushing engaging, voyeuristic content to its online community. Now the brand aims to take its concept international with the opening of a London store.

When Russia invaded early last year, the Kyiv-based brand — known for its viral feathered party pyjamas — was forced into survival mode. Now, founders Asya Varetsa and Kate Zubarieva are ready to speed up growth and introduce a new Sleeper, starting with a fresh logo.

With several emerging designers unable to show their work at London Fashion Week due to financial constraints, the industry chatter was as much about the shows that weren’t as the shows that were, reports the Guardian.

BoF meets four designers from Raisefashion’s brand fellowship programme without formal fashion training, to learn the challenges they have faced in starting a brand and how the non-profit is supporting their venture.

Four designers from Raisefashion’s brand fellowship programme share how the non-profit has enabled the creatives to take their business from strength to strength, and better navigate on-going market challenges today.