Craig Green, one of London’s most celebrated emerging designers, has just been awarded a major grant – the BFC/GQ designer menswear fund. Amounting to £150,000 in total, the grant to help take him to the next stage in his business, and comes in addition to some high-level mentoring.

Since graduating from Central Saint Martins’ MA course in 2012, under the tutelage of its legendary late director Louise Wilson, Green’s career has gone from strength to strength. He made his debut at LC:M as part of Topman and Fashion East’s MAN initiative in 2012 and, three seasons later, staged his first solo show – an event which reduced the front row to tears and caused fashion journalist supremo Tim Blanks to compare him to Rei Kawakubo. Always beautiful, his collections are poetic, romantic and yet wearable, with a utilitarian feel. 

“There was only really one winner, as Craig demonstrated a unique ability to build commercially on the incredible awareness driven by his high-profile shows during London Collections Men,” says Dylan Jones, editor of British GQ and chair of London Collections: Men. “It was a unanimous decision, as he showed a seemingly innate ability to understand the demands of growing a small business. He is a more than worthy winner of the prize.”

Previous winners of the prize include E Tautz and Christopher Shannon, selected by a panel that includes Jones, men’s fashion critic for the Financial Times, Charlie Porter and chief executive of the British Fashion Council, Caroline Rush.

“The panel was impressed by the focus, determination and talent of the shortlisted designers,” says Rush. “All have bright futures and will play key roles at London Collections: Men. But, there can only be one winner and Craig demonstrated incredible maturity, he has a clear plan of how the fund will benefit his business and how the mentoring can assist in his business growth over the next three years.”

Watch Craig Green AW16 below: