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The red carpet at The Fashion Awards was decidedly louder this year, as photographers and the public clamoured for a glimpse of its A-list guestlist, including Anne Hathaway, Pamela Anderson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Amal Clooney. After a more muted show last year, with fewer celebrities in attendance, the event was back with a bang — opening with a virtual summary of the year’s biggest fashion moments from Usher.
As Loewe ambassador actor Josh O’Connor took to the stage to present Designer of the Year, the audience could guess that Loewe and JW Anderson’s Jonathan Anderson would be taking home the top spot, beating Sarah Burton, Daniel Lee, Matthieu Blazy, and Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons.
“It’s an amazing honour to be up here,” Anderson said upon accepting the Designer of the Year award. “The journey that you go through as a designer – it’s an amazing thing that we have in Britain. We support on all different levels and it’s quite scary to be up here, because you realise what an amazing place we live and how lucky we all are.” He thanked the British Fashion Council for their ongoing support.
Burton, who recently left Alexander McQueen after 13 years as creative director, was later honoured with a special achievement award, presented by British Vogue’s Edward Enninful, an old friend of the late Lee McQueen.
“Lee was the greatest designer of our generation and I feel truly blessed to have known him, worked for him, and grown with him,” Burton said. “McQueen for me has always been about feeling. It’s often said by many people that you will never forget how people made you feel. I hope that all of the incredible people I’ve dressed and worked with feel empowered.”
The British Fashion Council (BFC) implemented a two-stage voting system for 2023 to ensure the Fashion Awards are “more reflective of our incredibly multifaceted industry”, said BFC CEO Caroline Rush when the nominees were announced in September. Newly introduced voting panels shortlisted the nominees before they were presented to the voting committee of over 1,000 industry members to pick the winners.
British Womenswear Designer of the Year was awarded to Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo. The award was presented by new British Vogue head of editorial content Chioma Nnadi, wearing a jersey caped Ferragamo gown. London talent Martine Rose won British Menswear Designer of the Year, presented by rapper and musician Little Simz. The New Establishment award, a new category for this year, was awarded to design duo Chopova Lowena for womenswear and Bianca Saunders for menswear.
The first prize of the night went to upcycling designer Conner Ives, who took home the BFC Foundation award, presented by actor Dan Levy. The award was focused this year on Newgen recipients to mark the 30th anniversary of the emerging talent programme. The other finalists were Aaron Esh, Chet Lo, Paolo Carzana and Sinéad O’Dwyer. Newgen chair and Vogue chief critic Sarah Mower was also honoured with a special achievement award for her services to emerging talent in fashion, presented by Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie.
The model of the year category was the most diverse it s ever been this year, likely due to the new shortlisting system. US-based model Paloma Elsesser took home the prize, presented by British actor Damson Idris. Upon accepting the award, she said: “I’m honoured, but also very shocked … because I am the first curve model to win this award,” to which the crowd erupted in cheers. Other nominees included Alton Mason, Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Anok Yai, Mona Tougaard and Liu Wen. Mid-size model Elsesser has long been an advocate for size inclusivity in fashion, and the win was met with cheers from the audience, as the industry continues to call for progress in size representation.
A series of new categories and special recognition awards were awarded throughout the night, as the BFC continues to change up the awards based on industry shifts. Last year’s Metaverse Design Award was not included in this year’s ceremony. The new Cultural Innovator award, reflecting music’s outsized impact on fashion trends this year, went to Sam Smith. Valentino Garavani was awarded a lifetime achievement award, accepted by Garavani’s longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti on his behalf and presented by Paltrow. After his award was presented there was a runway presentation of all-red archive Valentino looks. Edward Enninful received the Trailblazer Award, presented by British Vogue December cover stars Jodie Comer and Stormzy. Cosmetics founder Charlotte Tilbury and late British designer Joe Casely-Hayford were also honoured with special recognition awards, presented by Amal Clooney and Paapa Essiedu, respectively.
See the full list of winners below:
BFC Foundation Award: Conner Ives
Special Recognition: Sarah Burton
New Establishment: Womenswear: Chopova Lowena
New Establishment: Menswear: Bianca Saunders
Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator: Campbell Addy
Model of the Year: Paloma Elsesser
Special Recognition Award: Charlotte Tilbury
Entertainment Award: Sam Smith
Posthumous Special Recognition Award: Joe Casely Hayford
British Menswear Designer of the Year: Martine Rose
British Womenswear Designer of the Year: Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo
Special Recognition Award for Championing Young Designer Talent: Sarah Mower
Pandora Leader for Change: Michaela Coel
Trailblazer Award: Edward Enninful
Designer of the Year: Jonathan Anderson
Outstanding Achievement Award: Valentino Garavani
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