Designer Fashion Fund nominees announced:

by Relaxnews

The nominees for the BFC (British Fashion Council)/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund 2012 have been revealed, with industry favorites including Mary Katrantzou, Jonathan Saunders and Peter Pilotto among the nine shortlisted designers.`

Inspired by the US Vogue Fashion Fund and now entering its third edition for 2012, the event will once again offer an up-and-coming British-based creator a cash prize of £200,000 (€238,540) and mentoring from industry professionals, with aims to help them become a global brand.

Scotland’s Saunders and Austrian-born Pilotto also received nominations last year, but lost out to Scottish designer Christopher Kane.

The news symbolizes another coup for Athens-born Mary Katrantzou, who was announced Emerging Talent Ready-to-Wear winner at the British Fashion Awards back in November. Katrantzou, who beat fellow Vogue Designer Fashion Fund 2012 nominee Pilotto and J.W. Anderson to the accolade, has earned a wide fan base including model Alexa Chung and fashion editor Anna Dello Russo with her bold graphic print collections.

As well as being a previous recipient of the BFC's NEWGEN sponsorship fund, Katrantzou shares a Topshop collaboration in common with last year’s Vogue Designer Fashion Fund winner Kane. A hotly anticipated 14-piece collection of dresses by Katrantzou for British high street retailer Topshop will be released in February, while Kane began creating collections for the store in 2007.

The BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund 2012 victor will be revealed in British Vogue’s March issue. Other designers in the shortlist include Marios Schwab, Meadham Kirchhoff, Nicholas Kirkwood, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Ilincic and Zoe Jordan.

The inaugural edition of the fund was won by Canadian-born Erdem, who was nominated in the Designer of the Year category at the British Fashion Awards 2011.