Harold Tillman is appointed Chair of British Fashion Council
After February's London Fashion Week, Stuart Rose will step down as Chair of the British Fashion Council after three years and be replaced by Harold Tillman, a very dapper dresser and extraordinary fashion entrepreneur.
The British Fashion Council is a charity which exists to promote the British fashion industry and it is the organisation responsible for staging London Fashion Week twice a year. Tillman's credentials are so good, he could have been designed for the job. He started out studying tailoring in 1962 at the London College of Fashion, where he is now the sponsor of a £1 million scholarship award. He cut his business teeth on Carnaby Street and made a fortune selling hipsters. In 1967 he became one of the first retailers to harness the marketing power of celebrity when he employed footballing legend George Best to promote a line of clothes. In 2003 he came to rescue at Jaeger, buying the British heritage brand which today is emerging as a credible fashion label making its London Fashion Week catwalks debut in a few weeks time.
In 2005 Tillman invested in Allders of Croydon and saved this historically significant department store from closure. His seemingly magic touch is further endorsed by his own wardrobe - as you would expect from a trained tailor, Harold always looks impeccable in public. So will be able to face up to the challenges of being the BFC Chairman? It's hard to conceive of him doing anything but a great job - British fashion has just got even more exciting.
Words: Marian Buckley
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