The Duchess of Cambridge Presents the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to Saul Nash

When Queen Elizabeth astonished the fashion world by appearing at the Richard Quinn show in 2018, she had a long-sighted purpose: to inaugurate an annual award for an emerging British designer who exemplifies community-mindedness and sustainable practices. This time it was the Duchess of Cambridge—wearing a green hammered silk Edeline Lee dress—who caused a stir with her surprise visit to present The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design on a day celebrating the student, designer and business support schemes laid on by the British Fashion Council at the Design Museum.

“It’s an absolute honor to be here,” the Duchess said from the podium in the museum’s atrium as she announced Saul Nash as winner. “I’ve been hearing so many inspiring stories about British creativity, and the success of it.”

Nash’s crew of performer friends then cascaded down the atrium’s stairs, half-flying, half-dancing in an explosive demonstration of exactly why his innovative, anatomically -dynamic design—and the inclusive community he brings with it—is catching so many eyes. Standing to take in the electric energy of the performance just a couple of feet away, the Duchess applauded alongside a cheering crowd of Nash’s young peers and industry invitees.

“I honestly never even dreamed I’d be given this,” Nash said, looking happily stunned afterwards. Hardly surprising—Nash’s feet haven’t really touched the ground since he was awarded the 2022 International Woolmark Prize at the end of last month, a triumph won for his ingenious use of wool in place of environmentally detrimental synthetics in athletic design.

Nash is one of the current cohort of young designers in New Gen—the British Fashion Council’s cash and mentoring scheme, which was set up in the dark recession-hit days of 1993 to give a penniless talent named Alexander McQueen his first platform. Since then, New Gen has grown as a launchpad for over 300 designers and acts as a kind of predictive weather vane for the direction that fashion movements will take. Both Kim Jones and Jonathan Anderson were amongst them, on their way to the top in Paris.

The 2022 New Gen cohort—who were also gathered to be announced by the BFC’s CEO Caroline Rush—now includes the body positive designers Sinead O’Dwyer and Di Petsa, as well as Leo Carlton, who sculpts headpieces and jewelry in virtual reality and prints them out with biomaterials like oyster shells and flaxseed. The Duchess talked with all 20 of them before the ceremony, asking questions about art education, inspirations, and selling, and remarked, “it’s so interesting how many people talk about being inspired by their early experiences and their families.”

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