As guests including Rafferty Law, Heidi Klum, Petra Němcová, and Maria Carla Boscono took their seats for a plant based dinner, the awards ceremony kicked off with Trudie Styler introducing the Visionary honoree Tom Ford–founder of The Plastic Innovation Prize, a global competition powered by nonprofit Lonely Whale to source and scale marine-safe and biologically degradable alternatives to the traditional thin-film plastic polybags used in the fashion industry. “I started this prize three years ago with a harrowing fear that the world our children would inherit would no longer be a livable one,” said Ford. “I wanted to be a part of the solution, not be an arbiter of the problem. If we did nothing about the waste and pollution flooding our oceans, the disruption to our planet would be irreconcilable. Watching the brilliant minds within this competition has given me extraordinary hope in making the impossible possible.”
Other highlights of the evening included actor, and United Nations Messenger of Peace for Climate Change, Leonardo DiCaprio presenting the Futurist award to Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s first minister of Indigenous peoples, for her extraordinary achievements in upholding the rights of forests and helping to reposition Indigenous Peoples central in the global climate agenda. Beastie Boy, Mike D presented the Sage award to Chloe designer Gabriela Hearst, under whose leadership became the first luxury fashion house to earn a B Corp certification, while actress Jodie Turner-Smith presented a special honor, Game Changer award to Vogue’s Edward Enninful for his work championing diversity and inclusivity in the industry. “I have always endeavored to use my platform to champion causes that hopefully leave this world a better place than how we found it,” said Enninful, whose date for the evening was Naomi Campbell, fresh from the Versace show runway earlier that evening. “It’s been my life’s mission to spotlight, improve and drive the stories of the underrepresented. The progress we have made as a culture and fashion community in recent years has been fantastic, but we can do more. We must do more.”
Mother and daughter team Georgia May Jagger and Jerry Hall presented the Messenger award to Andreas Kronthaler and the Vivienne Foundation. The honor was accepted by the late designer’s granddaughter, Cora Corré, who gave an impassioned speech about the importance of continuing Westwood’s legacy of activism around halting climate change and defending human rights. The awards closed out with singer, songwriter, and humanitarian Annie Lennox introducing this year’s inspirational young leaders: a group of young women from around the globe, including Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, and climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate, UN Secretary-General special advisory member Sophia Kianni, and environmental and human rights activist Helena Gualinga. “As a long-term activist, it encourages and inspires me so much to see a new generation of brilliant young women rising up to address solutions to the countless challenges facing women and girls everywhere around the world,” she told the crowd. “This is what global feminism is all about! Sisters doin’ it for themselves!”
As the night drew to a close, board member Tonne Goodman said,” I’m really kind of overcome. I think that this is a remarkable event, because it shows that we really can succeed, progress and advocate. And the thing that is so extraordinary about tonight, is every single one of us in this room can facilitate. We have the know how, and we have the resources, so we need to listen to these young activists and do something. The activists that were present today are the absolute future, and we have got to support them.”
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