Liberty announces new initiative to support emerging designers

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 20, 2019

Luxury department store Liberty London has announced the launch of a new emerging talent programme, with three London Fashion Week designers selected to help kickstart the initiative.

Liberty Discovers will be a yearly initiative providing a platform for up-and-coming talent. It will support designers by offering mentorship from the Liberty buying team and exposure opportunities via the brand’s communication platforms.

Designers will also receive access to Liberty’s two in-house and product and fabric design studios, located within its Central London store on Regent Street.

The luxury retailer said the programme is designed to provide designers with invaluable support and knowledge to grow their brands.

Three of London Fashion Week’s rising stars, Duran Lantink, Matty Bovan and Daniel Pascal Tanner, have teamed up with Liberty to launch the programme. All three worked with the famous department store for the AW19 collections, which were unveiled during London Fashion Week.

Known for his upcycling methods, Duran Lantink is the designer who made the memorable ‘vagina’ trousers worn by Janelle Monae in her Pynk video. He represented the Netherlands as one of 16 designers showing at the International Fashion Showcase this week.

York-based Matty Bovan is a newly-announced recipient of this year’s BFC Newgen bursary, receiving support for his SS19 and AW19 collections. He won the LVMH Graduate Prize in 2015.

Finally, Daniel Pascal Tanner is a British womenswear designer who also collaborated with Liberty for the retailer’s Alpine Symphony in 2018.