YNAP’s luxury in-season sites Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter have linked up for the first time to expand Net-A-Porter’s mentorship programme, The Vanguard. 

It means the comprehensive programme will offer designers more business development support than before as the two act as “champions and incubators of emerging talent”.

New for this year, Vanguard “celebrates designers featured within Net-A-Porter’s Net Sustain and Mr Porter’s Consciously Crafted curated product selections that come with “elevated sustainability attributes”.

So, which labels are under the spotlight this year? The three selected for the 2024 programme are Diotima and Liberowe that are available on Net-A-Porter and Kartik Research that’s available at Mr Porter. 

Diotima is launching an exclusive dress and is created by Caribbean-born, New York-based designer Rachel Scott. It launched in 2021 “to honour her home country’s artisanal techniques and processes. Handcrafted by a group of local Jamaican craftspeople, the label’s signature crocheted pieces are inspired by traditional doilies and come in a variety of patterns and textures”.

Liberowe meanwhile launches an exclusive 18-piece collection featuring tailored jackets, peplum shirts, dresses and skirts. The luxury tailoring is made in London and “infused with references to Indian menswear and Paris in the 1960s and 1970s”.

And Kartik Research is another label born only in 2021. Founded by Kartik Kumra, it works closely with Indian artisans “to create clothing inspired by local style. A celebration of cultural heritage, each garment is handmade in limited quantities using centuries-old craft techniques”. For the programme, it’s launching an exclusive nine-piece collection featuring a handloomed suit alongside jackets and shirts with hand-embroidered details.

The two e-tailers said that by choosing emerging brands already feature within these curations it reflects their “ongoing commitment to support emerging designers who are committed to putting more responsible design at the heart of their work”.

Sustainability features

The trio of labels on Monday launched their exclusive capsules on the webstores and they come with a raft of sustainability features.

For instance, for the first time under the programme, they have Digital ID tech embedded into the pieces, as well as access to styling tips and care and repair services. 

The e-tailers are also running dedicated marketing campaigns to support the collections.

Another change is that the usual one-year bespoke mentorship programme will be extended to two years from October, further supporting they webstores’ “long-term commitment to nurture emerging talent”.

That means the designers will have “one-on-one access to two mentors, assigned from a committee of global industry experts, alongside bespoke guidance from sustainability consultancy, Create Sustain” and ongoing guidance from the Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter teams on issues like range planning, distribution strategy, marketing and social.

This year’s panel includes Alison Loehnis, who’s interim CEO and president of the two sites; Greg Chait, founder and CEO of The Elder Statesman; Lynette Nylander, executive digital director, Harper’s Bazaar US; Julie Ragolia, stylist and creative consultant; Sophia Li, journalist, climate advocate and public speaker; and Claire Bergkamp, CEO of Textile Exchange.

Buying director at the two sites, Kate Benson, said: “Each of the three designers have their own distinct design DNA, demonstrate promise, a sense of purpose and a commitment to a more responsible future, making them the perfect cohort for this year’s programme.”

Education Fund

At the same time, the e-tailers said they’ve been part of expanding The Education Fund this time. In its third year, the fund that runs in partnership with the British Fashion Council provides financial support and dedicated mentoring to final year students.

They get a cash prize of £12,500 and global coverage via Porter and The Journal, while being paired with internal mentors from the two sites for 12 months.

This year’s winners are Flora McFarlane of The Glasgow School of Art, Hadisa Ahmad Tabussam of Manchester Metropolitan University, Matthew Empringham of Central Saint Martins, and Shanel Edwards of University of Westminster.