FASHION’S FINEST TAKE A BOW
THE BEST OF BRITISH? More like the best of the world. Now billed simply as The Fashion Awards (the ‘British’ having been dropped), it’s the industry’s annual supercharged extravaganza, which took place last night at the Royal Albert Hall. Ever since it came under the directorship of two female driving forces – British Fashion Council chair Dame Natalie Massenet and chief executive Caroline Rush – it’s been transformed from a London fashion community event supporting home-grown talent into an epic that pays homage to universal fashion stars and mighty commercial brands. They included Donatella Versace, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, Calvin Klein’s Raf Simons and Gucci’s CEO Marco Bizzarri. So, if you’re wondering where to invest your wardrobe money, read our guide on who’s hot right now and why. And the winners were… Fashion Icon: Versace and d Donatella Versace who: The feminist powerhouse behind fashion’s most glamorous brand. what: This year marks the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace’s death and the subsequent two decades that saw Donatella at the helm, advocating empowerment for women through her unapologetically sexy-glam vision.
why: Her last show, a tribute to her brother that included a finale line-up of gold chain-mail-clad supermodels, will go down in fashion history as a seminal moment. Get on the wait list for any pieces from the S/S ’18 show: guaranteed future heirlooms.
Designer of The Year: Raf Simons for Calvin Klein
who: The Antwerp Academy alumni, 49, who redefined menswear in the 1990s with his eponymous line, held the post of artistic director at Dior womenswear from 2012 to 2015, and in 2016 started a new chapter, for men and women, at Calvin Klein.
what: Maker of cool. Transformer of powerhouses.
why: It’s all about the Raf-isms; the way he saturates clothes with art, pop culture and politics to create era-defining fashion.
British Designer of the Year – Womenswear: for JW
Anderson and Accessories Designer of the Year for Loewe: Jonathan Anderson
who: Dublin-born, London-based designer, 33, affectionately known as J Dubs, has become a veritable aheadof-the-curve designer, as phenomenally
skilled at producing It bags as he is at creating must-have clothes.
what: A prolific ideas machine, he’s produced hit after hit with his agenda-setting designs that span Madridbased leather powerhouse Loewe and his London-based own-label operation.
why: He scooped a double whammy because he’s a pioneering trend-maker as well as a commercial big-hitter (the Pierce and Puzzle bags are recurring sell-outs), making his shows (Loewe in Paris, J Dubs in London) priority must-sees.
Business Leader: Marco Bizzarri for f Gucci
who: The Gucci CEO who in 2015 backed the then unknown Alessandro Michele. Together they have made Gucci the undisputed brand reinvention of the early 21st century.
what: Guts, vision and a masterful strategy – that’s what it took to install the studio backroom boy and allow him to completely reinvent Gucci – from its hard-as-glass glamazonian ideal to a full-blown, more-is-more, vintage-meets-street eccentric.
why: Today, Gucci flourishes as one of the world’s best known and commercially successful brands, boasting 50% of its consumers born after 1980 and a turnover of over €4 billion (£3.5bn) in 2016.
Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator: Pat Mcgrath, MBE
who: British born, New York-based Pat is simply the world’s best-loved and most innovative make-up artist – with the emphasis on artist.
what: Her tools are not only brushes, powders and paint, but feathers, gold leaf and sequins – nothing is off-limits, whether she’s creating inspirational oneoff editorials with photographer Steven Meisel or giving 60 models a super-charged power glow backstage at Versace.
why: A total one-off, she decided to pour her expertise into her own line, Pat Mcgrath Labs, so now we can apply a bit of her genius with products named Phantom 002, Skin Fetish 003 and the latest: Metalmorphosis 005 – available at Sephora or on patmcgrath.com. Urban Luxe: Off-white who: Virgil Abloh, 37-year-old Chicagoraised renaissance man and Kanye West’s creative director. what: The streetwear label has serious
kudos with the influencers who matter. Collabs with the likes of Nike, Moncler and Ikea have further cemented Off-white’s status as one of the most exciting brands around.
why: Abloh has been one of the leading forces behind catapulting streetwear into high-fashion territory, redefining what luxury looks like now. World domination seems inevitable.
British Emerging Talent – Womenswear: Michael Halpern for f Halpern
who: 30-year old Central Saint Martins graduate, London-based New Yorker Michael Halpern.
what: Disco ball dazzle – think outrageously fun satin and sequinsmothered flares and tunics.
why: Halpern has pioneered a return to unabashed, ’70s-inflected glamour – and is doing storming business with it. Mischievously walking the line between good and bad taste, this is the glitzy, optimistic tonic we need right now.
Model of the Year: Adwoa Aboah
who: The 25-year old Ghanaian-british West Londoner who is redefining what it means to be a model now.
what: Aboah’s star’s gone stellar this year: scooping major campaigns, taking to the catwalk for the biggest brands (Chanel, Burberry, Dior) and topping it off by being anointed as Edward Enninful’s debut Vogue cover girl.
why: It’s Gurls Talk – Aboah’s online community, which helps empower girls – that really cements her status as the most super of the new supers.
British Emerging Talent – Menswear: Charles Jeffrey f for Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY
who: The ring-leader of a new generation of London creatives and club kids, Glaswegian designer and illustrator Jeffrey graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2015.
what: Dance-floor couture. Artists, performers, musicians, drag queens, poets and boogiers at his cult club nights inform Jeffrey’s exuberant, gender-fluid aesthetic.
why: Jeffrey’s delightfully OTT collections are a celebration of difference and diversity.
British Designer of the Year – Menswear: Craig Green
who: One of the highlights of the London Collections: Men’s schedule, Hendon-born Green is five years into his namesake label.
what: Meticulously detailed, ingeniously constructed minimal menswear that riffs on classic utilitarian clothing. The quilted workwear jackets are a signature.
why: This is the second year in a row Green’s scooped this award, testament to his sophisticated vision. The ability to blend the conceptual with the commercial marks him out as an exceptional talent, as well as the captain of a thriving brand.
Special Recognition for Innovation: Stella Mccartney, OBE
who: The needs-no introduction designer launched her eponymous label in 2001 and now sits atop a global brand.
what: A lifelong vegetarian and passionate animal rights activist, Mccartney never uses leather, fur or skins. This commitment means she has sought out innovative, ethical alternatives that make minimal environmental impact and never scrimp on style.
why: ‘Stella is a fashion pioneer, she has created a modern business that in turn has led her to be at the forefront of sustainable sourcing and material innovation. She is proof that high and ethical fashion combined can create astonishing results,’ says Natalie Massenet.
Swarovski Award for Positive Change: Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior Dio
who: Italian Maria Grazia Chiuri became Dior’s first female artistic director in 2016, after 17 years at Valentino.
what: The 53-year-old has set about making Dior ‘woke’; the rallying cry tees (see: ‘ We Should All Be Feminists’) have provoked endless debates about the role of feminism in fashion.
why: ‘Maria Grazia has combined her own long-standing commitment to female empowerment with true creative magic to bring today’s most vital conversations to fashion’s front row,’ says Nadja Swarovski, who sponsors the award.