November 30, 2021 |
Billy Porter in Richard Quinn
Munroe Bergdorf in Robert Wun 
Mona Tougaard in Alaïa 
Tom Daley in Dior
Halima Aden in Tommy Hilfiger
Leomie Anderson in Valentino Haute Couture
Billie Piper in Vivienne Westwood
Gabrielle Union-Wade in Valentino Haute Couture
Maya Jama in Alexander McQueen
Dua Lipa in Maximilian 
Griff in Simone Rocha 
Kosar Ali in Richard Quinn
Charles Jeffrey in Loverboy
Lucy Boynton in Chanel 
Kim Jones and Demi Moore in Fendi
Lila Moss in Burberry The worlds of fashion and celebrity came together yesterday evening for the biggest night on the fashion calendar: The Fashion Awards. After moving online last year due to the pandemic, the annual ceremony returned to the Royal Albert Hall for a celebration of our industry’s brightest talents. Want the lowdown on all that went down? Keep on scrolling.
The Looks
Last night was the first in-person Fashion Awards since 2019, and the lewks didn’t disappoint. Highlights included Dua Lipa in custom Maximilian, former 10 cover stars Leomie Anderson in Valentino and Griff in Simone Rocha, and Mona Tougaard in Pieter Mulier’s Alaïa. Other highlights of the night included model and activist Munroe Bergdorf in Robert Wun, Tom Daley in Dior and Demi Moore in Fendi. The designer who won the night, however, was ultimately Richard Quinn, who dressed the evening’s host, Billy Porter, alongside actors Kosar Ali and Priyanka Chopra, and the iconique Kylie (more on that later). For all our favourite looks from the evening, swipe through the gallery above.
The Tributes
The industry came together to pay tribute to the trailblazing Virgil Abloh, who tragically passed away after an agonising battle with cancer on November 28. Idris Elba led the tributes with a recital of “When Great Trees Fall” by Maya Angelou. Winners throughout the night, including Kim Jones, Ib Kamara and Edward Enninful, each dedicated their awards to the cultural innovator. In his acceptance speech, Enninful quoted Abloh: “As a Black man in a French luxury house, I am well aware of my responsibilities. Rather than preaching about it, I hope to lead by example, and unlock the door for future generations. I believe in making my mark with poise, style, and grace.”
The British Fashion Council also paid tribute to the many other talents we sadly lost this year, including the designer’s designer, Alber Elbaz, 16 Arlington co-founder Federica Cavenati, and 10 Magazine family member, the legendary hairstylist Lyndell Mansfield, who died in October.
The Performers
Kicking off the night was Griff, who serenaded the – bloody freezin’ – red carpet in an ethereal Simone Rocha frock. Then there was Kylie, who managed to perform an even sexier rendition of her 2003 hit “Slow” in a floral Richard Quinn catsuit, met with much fashion fangirling from the gays in the audience. To close out the night, Charli XCX wore a ’90s inspired Tommy Hilfiger get-up to perform her latest single, “Good Ones”, honouring Hilfiger, who took home the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented to him by super stylist Law Roach and the ultimate momager, Kris Jenner herself.
A highlight of the night was when viral dancer, Lil Buck, kicked, twirled and moonwalked his way across the stage. His performance honoured Chanel’s ongoing commitment to supporting the next generation of designers and artists, specifically with the Chanel Culture Fund, which back in March launched a global programme of unique initiatives with five leading cultural institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, Underground Museum and the Power Station of Art.
The Metaverse
It wouldn’t be an award show in 2021 without some bonkers digital element. This year saw the BFC team up with Roblox, which staged its very own version of the award show within the game’s virtual platform. Creating an immersive experience, players could walk down the URL red carpet in their finest pixilated looks. Heck, we might even add some to our best-dressed list.
The Winners
You’re a winner, baby. Picking up the gong for Designer of the Year was the incomparable Kim Jones, who was honoured for his phenomenal year at both Fendi and Dior Men’s. Elsewhere, Ib Kamara took home the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, Nensi Dojaka was awarded the BFC Foundation Prize and Mr Hilfiger walked arm-in-arm with Naomi Campbell to pick up his Outstanding Achievement Award. Throughout the night, 15 designers, brands, creatives, and individuals were honoured for contributing to positive change within our industry – the late Abloh being one of them. See the full list of winners below:
Designer of the Year:
Kim Jones
Isabella Blow Award:
Ib Kamara
Trailblazer Award:
Alessandro Michele
Outstanding Achievement Award:
Tommy Hilfiger
BFC Foundation Award:
Nensi Dojaka
British Independent Designer:
Simone Rocha
Leaders of Change, Creativity:
Virgil Abloh
Alessandro Michele
Demna Gvasalia
Kim Jones
Jonathan Anderson
Leaders of Change, Environment:
Bethany Williams
Gabriela Hearst
Phoebe English
Priya Ahluwalia
Stella McCartney
Leaders of Change, People:
Edward Enninful
Harris Reed
Kenya Hunt
Samuel Ross
Telfar Clemens
Special Recognition Award:
Dylan Jones
Photography courtesy of the British Fashion Council.
