Fashion Awards 2026 Nominees Put Established Houses and New Designers in View

The British Fashion Council has named the nominees for its 2026 Fashion Awards, scheduled for 30 November at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The shortlists span established global labels and a Vanguard category devoted to designers shaping a newer wave of British fashion. Winners have not yet been chosen.

Designer of the Year nominees are Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent; Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row; Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford; Matthieu Blazy for Chanel; Michael Rider for Celine; and Sarah Burton for Givenchy. The British womenswear and menswear categories each have separate shortlists. Simone Rocha appears on both of those lists, while Burton also appears in womenswear as well as the main designer category.

The Vanguard nominees are Conner Ives, Ellie Misner, Steve O Smith and Tolu Coker. That category serves a different purpose from the overall designer award: it signals attention to an emerging generation rather than weighing every nominee against the same established commercial scale. The council says an 18-member jury selected the shortlist, with a separate voting committee to determine the winners by confidential vote.

A nomination can widen visibility with buyers and collaborators, but it does not establish sales growth or predict the result. With the ceremony more than two months away, the useful distinction for readers is between the council’s recognition of designers now and the awards that will be announced on the night. The mix of categories also shows how the event tries to connect global fashion influence with a pipeline of British talent.