Matthieu Blazy, Sarah Burton, Haider Ackermann And Michael Rider Are Among The Designers Nominated Ahead Of The November Ceremony At London’s Royal Albert Hall
The British Fashion Council has revealed the nominees for The Fashion Awards 2026, bringing together some of the year’s most closely watched creative leaders ahead of the annual ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 30.
This year’s shortlist spans four categories announced by the BFC: Designer of the Year, British Womenswear Designer of the Year, British Menswear Designer of the Year, and the Vanguard Award. Winners will be announced during the ceremony, which also serves as the BFC’s major annual fundraising event.
The Designer of the Year category reflects a year of significant creative change across the industry, with several designers nominated for work at houses they have only recently begun to reshape.
Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent and Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row are joined by Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford, Matthieu Blazy for Chanel, Michael Rider for Celine, and Sarah Burton for Givenchy.
Blazy and Burton’s nominations come as both designers continue establishing new creative chapters at two of fashion’s most prominent houses, while Ackermann and Rider are similarly recognized for their work at Tom Ford and Celine. The inclusion of the Olsen sisters and Vaccarello places those newer appointments alongside designers with longer-established creative tenures at their respective brands.
Burton is also nominated for British Womenswear Designer of the Year, where she will compete alongside Erdem Moralıoğlu for Erdem, Simone Rocha for Simone Rocha, Clare Waight Keller for Uniqlo, and Louise Trotter for Bottega Veneta.
The category brings together British designers working across a particularly broad spectrum of businesses, from independent labels Erdem and Simone Rocha to global houses Givenchy and Bottega Veneta and Waight Keller’s work with Uniqlo.
For British Menswear Designer of the Year, the nominees are Foday Dumbuya for Labrum, Kiko Kostadinov for Kiko Kostadinov, Nick Wakeman for Studio Nicholson, Simon Holloway for Dunhill, and Simone Rocha for Simone Rocha.
Rocha’s presence in both the womenswear and menswear categories reflects the continuing expansion of her creative vocabulary across both, while the menswear shortlist combines independent London-based businesses with the historic British house Dunhill.
The Vanguard Award, which recognizes designers representing a new generation of British fashion, has four nominees this year: Conner Ives, Ellie Misner, Steve O Smith, and Tolu Coker.
The nominees were selected by an 18-member jury of critics, editors, stylists, and buyers. The group includes British Fashion Council Chief Executive Officer Laura Weir, British Vogue Fashion News & Features Director Alice Newbold, Elle UK Editor-in-Chief Kenya Hunt, Vogue Runway Chief Critic Sarah Mower MBE, Selfridges Buying Director Bosse Myhr, and representatives from Harrods, Liberty and LN-CC, among others.
Following the jury’s selection of the shortlist, the nominees will be presented to a separate Voting Committee of industry figures, who will cast confidential votes to determine the winners in each category.
The Fashion Awards will take place on Monday, November 30, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Beyond recognizing individual designers, the event functions as a fundraiser for the British Fashion Council and as one of its most visible international platforms for supporting and promoting British fashion.