BFC announces recipients of 2026/27 NewGen programme

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has unveiled the 2026/27 cohort of NewGen participants alongside a renewed commitment to the initiative through an extended partnership with Pull&Bear.

New designers selected for this edition include Francesca Lake, Gui Rosa and Petra Fagerström. They will join existing NewGen talent: A Letter, Charlie Constantinou, E.W.Usie, Johanna Parv, Karoline Vitto, Liza Keane, Lueder, Octi, Oscar Ouyang, Pauline Dujancourt, Steve O Smith, The Ouze, and Yaku.

For this season, BFC is redefining the positioning of the programme under its new strategy ‘BFC 2030: Access, Creativity, Growth’. Revealed earlier this year, the roadmap centres specifically on pivoting the organisation towards a format that promotes sustained, long-term support.

As a result, BFC said it has refocused its investment in the NewGen programme through the Pull&Bear partnership, which intends to provide “deeper and tailored support to a more concentrated cohort of designers”. The goal is to move this talent beyond visibility and provide them with the funding, infrastructure and mentorship needed for sustainable growth.

The BFC’s new chief executive officer, Laura Weir, reaffirmed NewGen’s long-standing role as an international launchpad for emerging designers, and added that the programme has been “refined to ensure support is clear and impact is demonstrable”.

Weir continued: “BFC NewGen has evolved to provide stronger designer support and deepened investment at a pivotal stage of growth. We are proud to support this year’s cohort and look forward to seeing their collections presented during London Fashion Week in the BFC NewGen showspace this September.”