As with most annual events that have gone ahead this year, last night’s BFC-organised Fashion Awards looked a little different from usual. Yes, they were streamed online — that was always a given — but the most striking changes, however, had less to do with the logistics of how the prizes were presented, but rather who they were presented to. Rather than give the gong to a single winner for each category as in previous years, which last year resulted in Daniel Lee’s full house, each name announced by hosts Priyanka Chopra, Maisie Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Aja Barber and Rosalía was declared a winner in their own right.
There was also a notable change in what last night’s honourees were recognised for. Where previous years have seen long lists of film award ceremony-style categories — ‘Designer of the Year’, ‘British Emerging Talent’ and the controversial ‘Urban Luxe’, for example — this year’s format comprised of just four categories, with five winners in each: Community, Creativity, Environment and People. Nominated by 800 members of the international fashion community, each awardee was selected on the basis of their active contribution to the crucial conversations that have been brought to the fore in fashion this year.
From the Emergency Designer Network (who rallied London’s independent designers together at the start of the pandemic to produce needed PPE equipment) to ASAI (who was one the first designers to use their business to actively support the Black Lives Matter movement), each of this year’s winners has proven themselves a leader in the fight for meaningful change, inspiring hope for a brighter future both in fashion and beyond.
Here’s the full list of winners below:
COMMUNITY
A Sai Ta
Chanel
Emergency Designer Network
Kenneth Ize
Michael Halpern
PEOPLE
Aurora James
Edward Enninful
Lindsay Peoples Wagner and Sandrine Charles for Black in Fashion Council
Priya Ahluwalia
Samuel Ross
ENVIRONMENT
Anya Hindmarch
Christopher Raeburn
Gabriela Hearst
Stella McCartney
The Fashion Pact
CREATIVITY
Graces Wales Bonner
Jonathan Anderson
Kim Jones
Prada, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons
Riccardo Tisci and Burberry