News
Monday 17 November 2008
British Council opportunity for fashion designer
A Nottingham fashion designer who started out creating street-style clothing for smaller men is in the running for the first ever UK Young Fashion Entrepreneur Award. Simeon Hartwig, who has run Bantum Clothing since graduating from Nottingham Trent University, is one of only six people up for the British Council award – which aims to recognise the importance of entrepreneurship in the UK's creative economy and the achievements of young creative entrepreneurs across the sector.
The Design Studies graduate, who runs his business from Nottingham Trent University’s business incubation unit, The Hive, was interviewed and shortlisted by a panel of independent UK fashion industry judges and a representative from the British Council’s Creative Economy unit. The awards, supported by NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and Arts) are open to fashion entrepreneurs with at least three years’ experience working in the UK fashion industry.
The finalists will now take part in a specially-tailored tour of India’s fashion industry next month to gain an insight into one of the world’s fastest-developing and most dynamic economies. On their return they will be re-interviewed to assess what they have learned from the opportunity and how they might take the experience forward.
The winner will be announced at London Fashion Week in February 2009 and receive £5,000 to spend on a UK-India business project.
Simeon (27) sells a range of funky men’s and womenswear to stockists, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and dresses, and will soon be offering short-legged jeans. He started out with a mission to produce street-style clothing for smaller men after struggling to find decent designer clothes to fit his own 5’6” frame, but demand has since seen his business grow to include larger sizes and womenswear. One of his first and most popular designs were his ‘I Love Notts’ garments – a regional take on the ‘I Love NY’ slogan – of which almost 1,000 have sold.
He has been able to develop his business with the help of The Hive, Nottingham Trent University’s purpose-built enterprise development centre. The Hive supports the creation of new ventures by offering expert help, mentoring and in-house training, alongside first-class business support and excellent facilities.
The designer also enlisted the help of his ‘Bantum Family of Music’ – local hip-hop artists such as Elementz, Lippicool, Karizma and Q – in gaining exposure for the label by wearing his clothing at their gigs.
“I’m crazy happy to have been shortlisted for this award, it’s really encouraging to know that all the effort I’ve put into the business has been rewarded in this way,” said Simeon
He said: “I’m looking forward to the India visit, where I hope to establish some really useful contacts and to seek new inspiration to help me move the business forward on an international level. I’m really grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given and to all those who have supported the business.”
Andrew Senior, Senior Expert at Creative Economy, said: "Simeon's energy and humour greatly impressed the judges. They found him to be a real entrepreneur, ready to take risks and to innovate but with a clear strategy for growing his business. Simeon is one of six in a very strong shortlist of finalists – we're excited to see how he fares in India and what he makes of the insights and opportunities that the tour presents."
ENDS
Notes for editors: The UK Young Fashion Entrepreneur Award is the latest edition to the British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur programme, which focuses on design, screen, music, publishing and fashion. The awards programme is a sibling to the established International Young Creative Entrepreneur award programme, in 9 sectors across the creative industries, through which finalists from nearly 50 emerging economies around the world have so far taken part in a tour of their creative sector in the UK.
NESTA
NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts. Its mission is to transform the UK’s capacity for innovation. With the largest portfolio of early-stage businesses in the country, it is a leading authority on how to grow new ideas. We also stimulate imaginative solutions to pressing social issues and shape policy to help the UK meet its national innovation challenges. www.nesta.org.uk
For more on the UK Young Fashion Entrepreneur Award visit: http://www.creativeconomy.org.uk/UKYFE
For more on Bantum Clothing visit: www.bantum.co.uk
For more on The Hive visit: www.ntu.ac.uk/hive/
Press enquiries please contact: Dave Rogers, Senior Press Officer, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8782, or via email dave.rogers@ntu.ac.uk, or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8774, or via email therese.easom@ntu.ac.uk.
