Jonathan Anderson and Grace Wales Bonner Lead the Nominees for the British Fashion Council’s Fashion Awards

Today, the British Fashion Council announced the nominees for the top awards at The Fashion Awards, which will be taking place once again at The Royal Albert Hall on Monday, December 5. 

This year’s nominees across all categories offer a clear view of the fashion industry at the moment. The category for Designer of the Year is packed with heavy hitters like Miuccia Prada, Balenciaga’s Demna, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, and Jonathan Anderson for both Loewe and J.W. Anderson (the latter of which is also nominated for Independent British Brand). With just two collections under his belt, Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy rounds out the category; they all fit the mold of designers who have “defined the shape of global fashion.” Alongside J.W. Anderson, others nominated for Independent British Brand, which honors designers that have had a notable impact on the industry’s creativity and innovation, include Erdem Moralioglu’s Erdem, Bianca Saunders, Molly Goddard, and Grace Wales Bonner’s namesake label (also nominated for a BFC Foundation Award). 

The aforementioned BFC Foundation Award will honor an emerging designer who has “received support from the BFC foundation”; among them are Ahluwalia’s Priya Ahluwalia, Chopova Lowena’s Laura Chopova and Emma Lowena, S.S. Daley’s Steven Daley, and Nensi Dojaka, who won in the category last year. 

Meanwhile, Adut Akech, Bella Hadid, Lila Moss, Paloma Elsesser, and Quannah Chasinghorse have been singled out as contenders for the Model of the Year award, which recognizes influence that transcends the catwalk. “Each one of [the nominees] contributes a remarkable amount towards creating an industry that promotes self-expression and individuality, perpetuates joy and optimism, and pioneers in innovation and positive change,” said Caroline Rush, the BFC’s Chief Executive. Jefferson Hack will receive a Special Recognition Award for Cultural Curation, while the honoree for the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, which was given last year to Ib Kamara, art and image director at Off White and editor-in-chief at Dazed, will be announced at a later date. 

Surprises are in store for the event’s attendees. The 15 winners in the Leaders of Change category will be revealed during the show alongside 50 young creative talents from around the world as part of the New Wave: Creatives category. Tickets for the event are available at The Fashion Awards’s website.