Omar Kashoura, 27

After graduating with a BA in menswear from London College of Fashion, Omar Kashoura launched his own line following a stint at premium brand Preen. A US award for his graduate collection helped, as did a presentation tour of New York, Chicago and Miami.

After three seasons, however, Kashoura decided he needed more substantial training and took an MA at Central Saint Martin’s – where he picked up another award for his graduation collection, this time a Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award.

Today Kashoura has just a handful of accounts, but a growing portfolio of activity – his mainline, a capsule collection for Turkish brand Tween, and a number of collaborations – plus representation from agent Four Marketing.

Kashoura says: “The London fashion scene is small, so it is relatively easy to get to know people who can support you. The two awards have given me a cash injection and I’ve also had support from the centre for Fashion Enterprises. The most difficult is not getting the business support, but getting the buyers.”

Lewis Alexander, founder of the eponymous luxury recruitment firm, says: “Working with quintessential British fabrics, Omar strikes a synergy of beauty and practicality into his menswear collections. No gimmicks just excellent design well executed. Quite simply Omar Kashoura has the ability to be the nextChristopher Bailey.”

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