As part of its talent incubator programme, luxury online retailer Net-A-Porter has launched a brand-new mentorship scheme in partnership with the British Fashion Council. Its first annual The Vanguard Education Fund assists final-year students as they embark on their journey into the industry by pairing them with influential mentors including Khaite founder Cate Holstein, Christopher John Rogers, Connor Ives and Instagram's director of fashion partnerships Eva Chen. "The Vanguard Education Fund will ensure we discover this talent early on and give more students the opportunity to establish themselves within the fashion industry," explains Libby Page, senior market editor at Net-a-Porter and one of the mentors within the programme.
The Vanguard Education Fund combines the British Fashion Council's network of UK-based universities with Net-A-Porter's own network of international universities to encourage diverse talent and is open to final-year students within the BFC Colleges Council. The four winners will be selected in June and granted approximately Dhs60,500 bursary each. The winners will also be paired with two industry leaders who will act as their mentors for the academic year.
Christopher John Rogers, designer of his eponymous label, shared, “The industry is full of talented, creative minds that deserve the space to explore their voices. There are so many amazing designers from non-privileged backgrounds or without family funding that have limitless vision, and it would behove the industry to support them to keep them moving forward." Hear, hear.
