Bethany Williams is beaming on the other end of our video chat—and rightly so. When we spoke, she had just been announced the winner of the British Fashion Council and British Vogue’s Designer Fashion Fund. As the victor, she will receive a £200,000 grant to grow her business and appear in the June issue of British Vogue alongside the other finalists: Supriya Lele, Alighieri, Completedworks, Halpern, Asai, Richard Malone, ELV Denim, Chopova Lowena, Olubiyi Thomas, and Kwadian Editions. “I didn’t think we were going to win, so I was really, really shocked about it,” Williams said giddily. “There are so many amazing designers; it’s amazing just to be alongside them and to be included in the group.”
What raises Williams above the rest? Alongside her casual, oft unisex pieces, it might be her way of working. Rather than follow a traditional design and production model, she’s organized her business to have a net positive impact on the planet and on communities across the United Kingdom and Europe.
