After a year-long hiatus from a dazzling red carpet [1], The Fashion Awards [2] returned to the Royal Albert Hall on Monday, 29 Nov, 2021 with hosting by award-winning actor extraordinaire Billy Porter. While celebrating those who have had a transformative impact on the fashion industry in 2021, the British Fashion Council (BFC) repositioned this year's event as an entertainment platform to show how fashion is a cultural meeting point for brands, designers, creatives, and artists.

The 2021 Fashion Awards were dedicated to the Designer of the Year and the recipient of the BFC Foundation Award [3]. Kim Jones for Dior Men and Fendi won Designer of the Year 2021, and nominees included Daniel Lee for Bottega Veneta, Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga, Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson and LOEWE, and Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons for Prada. Nensi Dojaka won the 2021 BFC Foundation Award, and the nominees were Bethany Williams, Bianca Saunders, Priya Ahluwalia, and Richard Quinn.

Previous winners of Designer of the Year have been Daniel Lee for Bottega Veneta (2019), and Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino (2018), with previous recipients of the BFC Foundation Award going to Wales Bonner (2019), and Molly Goddard (2018). Other notable awards at the 2021 event include the Leaders of Change acknowledgment, the Outstanding Achievement award given to Tommy Hilfiger, and special awards for the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, the Fashion Icon Award, and the New Wave: Creatives list.

The Fashion Awards is a charity fundraiser for the BFC Foundation that supports the growth of the British fashion industry through education, grant-giving, and business mentoring. In the 2020/2021 year, the BFC raised £1.7 million for the BFC Foundation and supported 33 designers and students with financial support grants and mentoring during a very difficult year for everyone, particularly those in the creative industries. If you fancy attending The Fashion Awards 2021, tickets will be available from Tuesday 21 Sept at TicketMaster, with early release tickets being made available to American Express members from Monday, 6 Sept, 2021.