Breaking Down The 2022 Fashion Award Nominations

Awards season is officially upon us. While film Twitter is gearing up to click their keyboards on the wins, the snubs, and of course, the red carpet faux pas, we’ll have our eyes glued on more fashion-forward accolades. That’s right, this December brings the 2022 Fashion Awards. Like an early Christmas present, yesterday the British Fashion Council (BFC) announced the nominees across a myriad of categories highlighting the talents that made the most impact on the industry this past year. Chosen by over 1000 key members of the international fashion industry, the annual awards show will put the spotlight on the brands and designers that continue to change the fashion landscape. As it continues to support emerging British Talent, like always the awards show will also raise funds for the BFC Foundation's many grant-giving programmes.

‘Each one of them 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’ explains chief executive officer of the BFC Caroline Rush on this year's nominees. Along with the mainstay categories like Designer and Model of The Year, the upcoming award show will highlight 15 Leaders of Change whose impact across the environment, people, and creativity can’t be ignored. Dazed & Confused co-founder Jefferson Hack is also set to receive a Special Recognition Award for Cultural Curation thanks to his decades-long work creating opportunities for the next generation of talent. We can expect the industry's crème de la crème to congregate at The Royal Albert Hall to celebrate fashion’s pioneers. Without further ado here is our breakdown of this year’s nominees in the show’s main categories.

BFC Foundation Award

First up is the BFC Foundation Award which recognises emerging talent who’ve benefited from the BFC’s support including NEWGEN recipients, the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund, and the BFC Fashion Trust. Ahluwalia, Chopova Lowena, Nensi Dojaka, S.S. Daley, and Wales Bonner are this year's nominees. Along with receiving funding from the BFC, four of the five nominations have also been recognised by another big award; the LVMH prize. Nensi Dojaka won the illustrious award last year, while S.S. Daley is the most recent recipient. Ahluwalia was a 2020 finalist, while Wales Bonner won it back in 2016, making us question whether or not she should still be considered ‘emerging’. While the past recognition is impressive that doesn't mean you should count out London Fashion Week newcomers Chopova Lowena who made their runway debut in September to much fanfare thanks to their rebellious, art school-imbued collection.

Independent British Brand

Putting the B in BFC, the Independent British Brand award recognises the creativity and innovation of homegrown talent. Up for the award, this year are Bianca Saunders, Erdem, JW Anderson, Molly Goddard and Wales Bonner. We wouldn’t blame you for immediately thinking JW Anderson stands out in the lineup. After all, it couldn’t keep out of the headlines with its numerous viral moments including the Charli XCX fronted campaign for the Bumper Bag, and its notorious pigeon clutch becoming the year's must-have animal accessory. Other stand-out moments from the nominees this year include Wales Bonner making her Florence debut as the guest designer of Pitti Immagine Uomo no. 102, and Molly Goddard continuing to expand her signature brand of British-twee with menswear.

Model of The Year

Where would fashion be without the statuesque sirens bringing collections to life as they stomp down the runway? Up for Model of the Year for their groundbreaking work on and off the catwalk includes Adut Akech, Bella Hadid, Lila Moss, Paloma Elsesser, and Quannah Chasinghorse. It seems like we couldn’t escape the stone-cold beauty of Bella Hadid during the S/S 23 shows, walking for the biggest shows like Balenciaga and Vivienne Westwood. Of course, we couldn’t not mention her viral moment at Coperni which dominated social feeds around the globe. Adut Akech, Paloma Elsesser, and Quannah Chasinghorse have all made an impact beyond the runway as faces for diversity and inclusivity. If a nepo model does win this year, just please don’t let it be Lila Moss.

Designer of the Year

Last but certainly not least is the Designer of the Year award highlighting the superstar talent shaping fashion’s future. Demna, Jonathan Anderson, Matthieu Blazy, Miuccia Prada, and Pierpaolo Piccioli are the nominees thanks to their boundary-breaking collections. The most obvious contenders for the award include Demna for Balenciaga with countless catwalk moments this year including S/S 23’s ‘mud’ show and the snowy A/W 22 showcasing the Georgian talent’s flair for apocalyptic theatrics. Jonathan Anderson is another stand out thanks to his surrealist vision further elevating the craft-focused ethos of Loewe with his sculptural silhouettes for S/S 22, and moulded leather mini dresses at his A/W 22 shows. A new addition to The Fashion Award’s radar is Matthieu Blazy who had the industry in awe of his denim trompe l'oeil leather trousers at his Bottega Veneta debut. Also, has someone checked in on Raf Simons after this snub?