Designer Jonathan Saunders wins British fashion award

Jonathan Saunders , the designer whose stock has risen sky-high over the past two seasons, has been named this year's winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fund . This prize is not just a fancy title or an odd-shaped piece of glass for the mantel, this is a proper investment in the future of British fashion. Saunders will receive £200,000 to invest in his evolving business, which last month in Milan saw the launch of a full menswear line . Saunders has found fans in first ladies Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron while stores from London's Matches to New York's Bergdorf Goodman sell his clothes. Trained in printed textile at London's Central Saint Martins, Saunders quickly proved himself as a strong colourist. More recently he has turned his attention to the shape and cut of his clothes, which has resulted in increasingly strong and wearable collections. On Wednesday morning, Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said: "I am delighted that Jonathan has won this year's award. His recent collections have shown he is a designer who can provide beautiful clothes that women enjoy wearing and he is in a great position to build on his current success." Saunders said: "I'm so happy about winning. The last 12 months have been an exciting time for me and my team and I'm very proud of all their hard work. We have many exciting plans for the near future and this along with the support network provided by the BFC will enable us to achieve our goals." Previous winners of the prize include Christopher Kane and Erdem.