Jonathan Anderson named Designer of the Year

Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson was honored with the prestigious ‘Designer of the Year’ award at the British Fashion Council (BFC) ‘Fashion Awards 2023’, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall on December 4.

He received the coveted award for managing his own successful label JW Anderson and the luxury fashion house Loewe, which is part of LVMH. Anderson prevails against the competition. In addition to him, the designer Daniel Lee for his work as creative director at the British luxury label Burberry, Matthieu Blazy for the Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons for the luxury brand Prada, also based in Italy, and the British designer Sarah Burton for her work Alexander McQueen nominated.

During the awards ceremony, 16 awards were presented to winners who were selected by an international jury made up of more than 1,000 industry experts. British television presenter Maya Jama and musician Kojey Radical hosted the evening.

In addition to Anderson, designer Maximilian Davis was also honored with the British Womenswear Designer Award for his work as creative director at Ferragamo, while designer Martine Rose received the British Menswear Designer Award for her “global impact” on international menswear.

The BFC Foundation Prize, which “honors initiative designers who have had a major impact on global fashion in the past year,” went to American Conner Ives. Designer duo Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena received the ‘New Establishment Womenswear Award’ for creating a “new movement in British fashion” with their label Chopova Lowena.

Bianca Saunders, Sam Smith and Valentino Garavani also honored

An award also went to British-Jamaican designer Bianca Saunders, who won the ‘New Establishment Menswear Award’, while US plus-size pioneer Paloma Elsesser was named Model of the Year.

The British singer Sam Smith was delighted to receive the first ‘Cultural Innovator Award’. His “bold and free style choices have led to profound discussions about self-expression, identity and inclusivity.”

American actress Gwyneth Paltrow presented Italian designer Valentino Garavani with the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ for his long-standing contributions to the fashion industry. This was celebrated with a fashion show that featured 24 of the most famous red dresses in the ballet ‘An Evening at the Opera with Valentino’. It was filmed last month in Garavani’s Italian hometown of Voghera and presented as a backdrop to the show.

The British fashion industry also paid tribute to punk icon and designer Vivienne Westwood, who died in 2022, and her fearless approach to design and activism. British designer Joe Casely-Hayford was posthumously honored with the ‘Special Recognition Award’ for his outstanding contributions to fashion and culture.

British make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury and designer Sarah Burton were also honored, while the commitment to young design talent also earned Vogue critic Sarah Mower an award. Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful received the ‘Trailblazer Award’.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Heide Halama.