Giorgio Armani is backing the British Fashion Council's latest initiative.

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To mark the first ever Emporio Armani runway show in London and the unveiling of the new Emporio Armani store in Bond Street, Giorgio Armani will work with students during September's London Fashion Week to create a capsule collection which will be launched for Spring/Summer 2018.

A top fashion destination and hot bed of design talent, London remains an inspiring choice for many industry professionals. This, despite the changing political tides and recent terror attacks to hit the United Kingdom. According to Armani, British design schools are "among the most interesting in today's arena."

"They produce unique talents, by encouraging the originality and individuality of each student. I believe that to be successful in fashion, creativity must go hand in hand with a pragmatic and realistic approach; I would like to use this initiative to encourage a dialogue between these two elements, giving the winners a useful opportunity to succeed and move forward in their careers," Armani added.

(Related: Giorgio Armani Ceates Legacy Foundation)

The New Bond competition in association with Armani is open to all UK-based fashion design schools that are part of the BFC Colleges Council network. Students are required to "bring the essence of British style" to their interpretations of three iconic Emporio Armani signature models.

All submissions will be evaluated by the Italian design maestro, who will pick the three winners, one for each product category: outerwear, bags, and footwear. The three chosen designs will be manufactured and sold in Emporio Armani stores in London, Manchester and Glasgow, and will be available at armani.com from September.

What's in it for the winners? Each one get to spend three months at the Giorgio Armani headquarters in Milan, where they will join the team of designers there to develop their creations.

The competition is part of a wider project launched by Giorgio Armani, designed to support talented youngsters from all over the world. As part of this initiative, the Chinese designer Xuzhi Chen was invited to present his runway show for his Autumn/Winter 2017-18 collection at the Armani/Teatro during Milan fashion week last February.