Sep 27, 2018| JD Retail

JD.com Joins Forces with Ruyi to Sponsor BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund

Rachel Liu JD.com Joins Forces with Ruyi to Sponsor BFC/GQ

Chinese E-commerce giant JD.com’s recently announced partnership with textile and fashion conglomerate Ruyi is off to an exciting start, as the two leading Chinese brands have announced a joint sponsorship of the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund.

The Designer Menswear Fund was launched by the British Fashion Council (BFC) and leading men’s magazine British GQ in 2013 to support talented British-based menswear designers with commercial growth in the transition from an emerging creative business to a global fashion brand.

As part of the sponsorship arrangement, representatives from JD and Ruyi will join a panel of industry experts to grant the winning designer financial support of £150,000 and access to £50,000 worth of high-level business mentoring, consultation and professional services. Participating designers will also benefit from the full force of JD.com and Ruyi’s resources in accessing China’s rapidly growing men’s fashion market.

“We are delighted to re-instate the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund thanks to JD.com Inc. and Ruyi who have committed to two years of support for our brilliant emerging menswear designers. It is also fantastic to have the support of such a great ambassador in David Beckham who has already become a huge force within the BFC. The last British designer to win the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund was Craig Green, a talent and business that has gone from strength to strength”, said Dylan Jones, BFC Menswear Chairman and Editor of British GQ.

David Beckham, BFC Ambassadorial President said: “Promoting the British Fashion industry in China is an important part of my new role with The British Fashion Council. It is great to be able to celebrate this new funding for emerging British menswear talent today. The menswear category is so energised at the moment and I can’t wait to see and meet the talent that will be involved – it’s very exciting.”

JD and Ruyi’s sponsorship of the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund follows JD’s partnership with the BFC-Vogue Fashion Fund, which celebrated its second anniversary earlier this year. More and more international fashion brands are looking to expand their presence in the Chinese market as a result of the country’s rapid growth in the sector. Globally, the share of personal luxury goods purchased by Chinese nationals reached 32% in 2017.

Xia Ding, President JD International Fashion commented: “Our joint sponsorship of the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund with Ruyi is a great example of how JD is working with partners both inside and out of China to build new links in the global fashion industry. The UK is now increasingly recognized by Chinese people as a global fashion center and JD is proud to serve as the most convenient channel for British designers to reach China’s many discerning fashion consumers.”

“Ruyi is pleased to see our partnership with JD.com blossom into practical action with this move to help British designers expand into the Chinese market,” said Francis Srun, Executive President of Ruyi International Group. “Aside from a range of joint initiatives in offline retail and e-commerce, Ruyi’s extensive collection of global brands are already working closely with JD and we are confident that this network will give a strong boost to designers supported by the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund.”

JD and Ruyi’s sponsorship of the fund was announced this week at a cocktail event in Shanghai attended by BFC Ambassadorial President David Beckham. Previous winners of the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund include UK-based designers Christopher Shannon, E. Tautz and Craig Green.