The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Today, BoF and Topshop announce the winners of Future VOICES, a competition to identify 10 breakthrough talents from around the world to participate in VOICES, BoF's new annual gathering for big thinkers, taking place from 1-3 December at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire.
Hundreds of applicants from across the globe applied for the opportunity to present their ideas on stage at VOICES to leaders within the global fashion community. Winners will also benefit from a year-long programme that includes mentorship, access to industry events and the chance to work closely with the teams at Topshop and BoF.
In a judging session at Topshop's London headquarters last week, Sheena Sauvaire, global marketing and communications director at Topshop, Kate Phelan, creative director at Topshop and fashion director at British Vogue, and Imran Amed, founder and CEO of BoF, whittled down the applicants to 10 final winners.
Entrants were required to write 250 words on the biggest opportunity facing the fashion industry right now and how they would seize it, as well as a 60-second video explaining why they believe they are one of fashion’s Future VOICES.
Here, we share the videos submitted by the 10 Future VOICES winners:
Sekayi Fundafunda
Age: 26
Nationality: Zambia
Residence: Lusaka, Zambia
Passion point: Africa
Marc Close
Age: 27
Nationality: Australia
Residence: Bangkok, Thailand
Passion point: Fashion technology (mass-customisation)
Sara Arnold
Age: 30
Nationality: Singapore
Residence: London, United Kingdom
Passion point: Sustainability
Hanzi Shen
Age: 21
Nationality: China
Residence: Champaign, IL, United States
Passion point: Technology
Mitali Rakhit
Age: 26
Nationality: United States
Residence: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Passion point: Body positivity and image
Nathaniel Palmer
Age: 28
Nationality: United States
Residence: Atlanta, GA, United States
Passion point: Fashion psychology
Vienna Kim
Age: 22
Nationality: United Kingdom/South Korea
Residence: St Andrews, United Kingdom
Passion point: Race
Oana Simon
Age: 23
Nationality: Australia
Residence: Glasgow, United Kingdom
Passion point: Gender equality in fashion
Grant Lacy
Age: 20
Nationality: United States
Residence: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Passion point: E-commerce/brand experience spaces
Yarden Horwitz
Age: 28
Nationality: Canada
Residence: New York, NY, United States
Passion point: Data
Future VOICES was launched in October 2016, by BoF and Topshop as a new long-term partnership dedicated to nurturing the next generation of global industry talent based on a shared mission to democratise and open the fashion industry by connecting and informing its future leaders.
Each of the Future VOICES winners will receive a flight to London from anywhere in the world as well as a ticket and accommodation to attend VOICES.
To see the Future VOICES and other top business and creative leaders from fashion and the wider world in action at VOICES from 1-3 December 2016 at Soho Farmhouse, tune in for live streaming, brought to you by Topshop. Register to BoF to be notified once the live streaming begins.
To learn more about VOICES, BoF's new annual gathering for big thinkers, visit our VOICES website, where you can find all the details on the now sold-out gathering in December, in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate, hosted at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire.
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