British Fashion Council Trust Prize win for ULMS graduate
Jennifer Davies, (BA Popular Music 2008, MSc Operations & Supply Chain Management 2016) current PhD student, has won the Fashion Trust prize for NABIL NAYAL – the luxury fashion brand she co-directs and the eponymous label of Syrian and British designer, Nabil El-Nayal.
The prize, which is awarded by the British Fashion Council, was awarded to Jennifer and Nabil for their exceptional work within e-commerce, sustainability, production and wholesale expansion.
All applicants were assessed by a panel of fashion industry experts and had to submit business and finance information, a lookbook from their AW18 collection and a selection of garments that represented their design aesthetic.
Applicants also had to submit a business strategy/growth plan detailing exactly how the grant money would be spent and the mentoring support they wished to receive in order to meet our business objectives.
Having won the prize, Jennifer will now receive funding and business mentorship from the British Fashion Council. Jennifer will also showcase her SS19 collection on the official London and Paris Fashion Week.
Speaking about the award, Jennifer said: “Nabil and I both feel completely over the moon with the news. It’s taken a lot of hard work and determination to get the brand to this point.
“It feels fantastic that this has been recognised and that the panel believes in our vision. A lot of past recipients have gone on to achieve great things and so we’re excited to have this opportunity.”
NABIL NAYAL is a ready-to-wear luxury fashion brand and is stocked internationally in China, Japan, the USA and the Middle East. Lots of celebrities have worn the designs, including Rihanna, Victoria Beckham, Florence Welch and Lady Gaga. The brand is stocked internationally in China, Japan, USA and the Middle East in department stores such as Harvey Nichols and Dover Street Market.
Jennifer, who previously studied the Marketing, Operations and Supply Chain Management MSc at the Management School, has had an impressive year, having also been named as a finalist for the LVMH Prize for young designers.
Jennifer’s brand was selected out of 2,000 applicants and a shortlist of 21 brands to present the vision for the business to a panel of LVMH directors and iconic designers, such as Creative Director of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris.
Jennifer is now planning for the presentation of their SS19 collection in September. In addition to this, Jennifer is also working on an exciting location for their first LFW presentation and is busy completing her first year of PhD studies in sustainable supply chain management in the fashion industry with the Marketing and Operations Group at our Management School.
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