Commenting on the last four years, Sir Stuart said: "This has been a challenging and rewarding post. I feel fortunate to have worked with the British Fashion Council and the wealth of talented designers we have in this country. I know Harold will provide strong leadership to the BFC as it embarks on the next stage of developing London Fashion Week and providing support for designers."

Harold Tillman is an alumni of The London College of Fashion and has built up a strong track record for maximising the full potential of fashion businesses. He commented: "As chairman of the BFC I aim to build on the strong foundations put in place by Stuart, Hilary Riva and her team. London is internationally recognised as the most creative and exciting fashion capital. We have the best design colleges in the world which each year creates a strong pool of talented designers wishing to start their own label business. Through the BFC and London Fashion Week we will offer support to these fledgling businesses, helping them develop a market and attain sustainable growth."