E Tautz named as BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund winner
The British Fashion Council has named E Tautz as the winner of the second BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund.
E Tautz was founded in 1867 and was re-branded in 2009 under the creative direction of Patrick Grant. The firm will receive a grant of £150,000 to “provide the necessary infrastructure” to take the business to the next stage. It will also benefit from a bespoke mentoring support programme over a twelve month period.
Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, said: “It is with great joy that we present the second BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund Award to E Tautz. We are delighted to be able to support a label with such a strong identity, precise business plan and noteworthy presence at London Collections Men. I strongly believe that the prize will successfully help propelling E Tautz onto the international fashion scene.”
In addition to E Tautz, Astrid Andersen, Christopher Raeburn, Matthew Miller and Sibling were shortlisted for the 2015 prize. All participated in a mentoring programme with fashion industry experts, including Ben Banks, chief executive of Four Marketing, Karen Mengers, merchandising director of Alexander McQueen and Sean O’Neill, head of global digital trading at All Saints. In addition, the fund sponsor Vertu played a key role in the mentoring programme and gave access to its team of business leaders in technology, global distribution, legal and finance.
Massimiliano Pogliani, chief executive of Vertu, said: “The opportunity to mentor such a talented group of young British designers is both inspiring and a privilege and the Vertu team of mentors was impressed with the creativity and commercial ambition demonstrated by all of the designers. Patrick, however, stood out not only for his immense talent, but for his appetite to build the business and openness to new commercial approaches. We now look forward to mentoring E Tautz further as it extends the business into new markets.”
The British Fashion Council/GQ Designer Menswear Fund was established in September 2013 following the success of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. The first award was made in 2014 to Christopher Shannon.
