London loves a grand entrance, and the 2025 Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall proved it hasn’t lost its appetite for spectacle. Designers, icons, VIPs, and a constellation of meticulously styled celebrities swept through the venue for an evening that fused extravagance, and the renegade spirit only British fashion can conjure. Pandora presented the ceremony; London, as usual, brought the stars.
Colman Domingo presided over the night with the kind of controlled magnetism only he can pull off, wearing a sharply tailored double breasted Burberry suit punctuated with a gleaming Boucheron brooch. But before he even stepped onstage, the carpet had already gone off-script: Sienna Miller and Ellie Goulding stunned the crowd by revealing their pregnancies, soft launches in the room.
Model of the Year alum Alex Consani arrived in a distressed skull-motif gown alongside McQueen creative director Seán McGirr, practically willing the long-awaited skull scarf renaissance back into existence. This year’s winner, Anok Yai, floated in custom Dilara Findikoğlu and Boucheron jewels, incandescent as ever.
Inside, the ceremony refused to slow down. Raye delivered a velvety, cinematic rendition of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Cry Me a River,” draped in a custom Ferrari Style look that moved like liquid under the stage lights. Chanel, preparing for its Métiers d’art takeover in New York, marked 100 years in the U.K. with a jubilant ballet performance, an unexpected, near-theatrical nod to the house’s legacy.
As for the awards themselves, the industry’s most fearless talents dominated the spotlight. Grace Wales Bonner claimed British Menswear Designer of the Year (again) cementing her grip on contemporary tailoring. Jonathan Anderson extended his streak, winning Designer of the Year for the third consecutive time. And Sarah Burton, introduced by Cate Blanchett as a “new type of genius” received British Womenswear Designer of the Year for her sharp, emotionally intelligent work at Givenchy.
This year also marked a turning point for the British Fashion Council. With Laura Weir stepping in as CEO, the organization signaled a new chapter, one rooted in clarity, accessibility, and global ambition. In just eight months, she has removed participation fees for London Fashion Week designers, launched the Fashion Assembly educational program, and tonight, delivered an awards show that doubled last year’s fundraising efforts with over £1 million raised.
The inaugural Costume Designer of the Year Award went to Kate Hawley for her electrifying work across opera, ballet, film, and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. It was a fitting symbol of Weir’s mission: collapsing the boundaries between fashion, art, cinema, and sport, and elevating the creators shaping culture from every direction.
As any fashion awards we keep up with the new of today and expect the wonders of tomorrow.
