Christopher Shannon nabs BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund

Hats off to Christopher Shannon – the Liverpool-born designer is the winner of the inaugural British Fashion Council/GQ Designer Menswear Fund. He beat out four other nominees – Richard Nicoll, Lou Dalton, Christopher Raeburn and Patrick Grant – to walk away with the £150,000 grant, which includes with a year-long mentoring scheme worth around £50,000.

"There were so many people pushing for that prize – and who pushed me to go for it – and I have always considered myself as somewhat anti-establishment, but now people have started recognising my work for what it is," he told GQ. "That's really rewarding.” 

In a bittersweet moment, he dedicated his award to recently departed Central Saint Martins tutor Louise Wilson, who gave Shannon a scholarship to attend her Fashion MA course. "I've lost her, but she's left me with so much," he said. "It's fucking unbelievable – that's exactly what she'd have said!"

You can read our interview with Shannon in the new summer 2014 issue of Dazed, which is out now. Check out our review of his AW14 collection here.