by More than 3,000 guests, including Hollywood stars Anne Hathaway and Gwyneth Paltrow, turned out for the 2023 Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday to celebrate one of fashion’s biggest nights.
While the event acts as a key fundraiser for the British Fashion Council, a not-for-profit business that promotes the British fashion industry internationally, it is also an opportunity to celebrate the industry which employs almost 900,000 people and contributes more than £21bn to the UK economy.
One of the first winners of the night was British designer Sarah Burton, who received a special recognition award. In September Burton announced that she was stepping down as creative director of Alexander McQueen. During her 27-year tenure she created the wedding dress of the Princess of Wales. Accepting her award, she paid tribute to the late Lee Alexander McQueen, describing him as “the greatest designer of our generation”.
Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson won the designer of the year award, honoring his work on his own label, JW Anderson, and his role as creative director of Spanish fashion house Loewe.
Valentino Garavani, founder of Valentino, was presented with an outstanding achievement award. Known for his exquisite haute couture gowns, Garavani was the go-to designer for Elizabeth Taylor and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis throughout the 60s. A striking purple shade he created was called “Valentino red”.
The 91-year-old, now retired, sold the brand in 1998 for $300m (£237m) to Italian entrepreneur Gianni Agnelli. It is now controlled by the Qatari group Mayhoola and last July Kering acquired 30% in Valentino for €1.7bn (£1.5bn).
The late British designer Joe Casely-Hayford has been awarded a special posthumous recognition award. Casely-Hayford, who died in 2019, was known for his sleek tailoring that combined tradition with modern streetwear influences. The Clash, Bono, Drake and Gordon Brown wore his clothes, and he was one of the first black British designers to achieve international fame, although it can be argued that his talent is only now being fully recognised.
Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, described Casely-Hayford as “one of the most talented and pioneering designers of our time”.
“He built London’s reputation as a fashion and cultural hub on the world stage, and paved the way for generations of designers,” she said. The Casely-Hayford brand is now led by his son Charlie and his sister Alice accepted the award.
Sarah Mower, British fashion journalist and critic for US Vogue, was presented with a special recognition award for promoting young designer talent. Mower played a significant role in raising the profile of young British designers including Christopher Kane, Erdem and Anderson. Earlier this year, she curated Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion at the Design Museum in London, which explores how London became one of the four capitals of fashion.
The outgoing editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, was presented with a trailblazer award. Enninful will be succeeded by former US edition website editor Chioma Nnadi, who is stepping down from his editorial position in March.
Nnadi presented the British Womenswear Designer award to Maximilian Davis, creative director of the Italian house Ferragamo, and the British menswear designer of the year award to Martine Rose for the label of the same name which she started in London in 2007.
Other recipients on the night included singer Sam Smith, who took home the cultural innovator award, British-Ghanaian actress and director Michaela Coel, who was presented with the Pandora leader of change award by Pamela Anderson, and Paloma Elsesser the first person. plus size model to win model of the year.
There was emerging talent as well. British-Jamaican designer Bianca Saunders was awarded the new establishment award in menswear, recognizing her cross-cultural approach to design. London-based design duo Chopova Lowena, who create pieces using dead stock materials and traditional craft techniques, won the womenswear award for the new establishment.
Elsewhere, Campbell Addy, a London-born photographer and director, won the Isabella Blow award for fashion designer. Previous winners include Showstudio’s Nick Knight and makeup artist Pat McGrath. Addy, who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2016, has quickly become one of the most sought-after photographers in the fashion industry.
He has shot the likes of Beyoncé and FKA and his work is known for challenging beauty norms and telling stories from black and marginalized communities.
