Italian fashion legend ​Brunello Cucinelli is to be honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Fashion Awards 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall in London in December, the British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced. 

The accolade, regarded as one of the fashion industry’s highest distinctions, recognises the 47-year career of the Umbrian designer, philosopher and entrepreneur.

Cucinelli is being rewarded for his “exceptional contribution to the world of fashion, as a pioneer who has succeeded in combining luxury and design with a more responsible approach to business”, the BFC said.

Its executive committee said it also chose to bestow this honour on his Solomeo-based fashion house which is “rooted in the ethical principles of Humanistic Capitalism and Human Sustainability, dedicated to promoting the dignity of the human being in all its forms and expressions, as well as to the guardianship of Creation”.

The BFC specifically highlighted “the innovation brought to the world of cashmere [which] has transformed the possibilities of the entire sector”.

Cucinelli added: “I like to think of this as a gift to dedicate to young and very young artisans who, in the future, will be called upon to contribute, in an innovative and contemporary way, to the enhancement of the dignity of manual labour, fine craftsmanship, and our Made in Italy, so highly appreciated around the world.”

Cucinelli joins a exalted list of Outstanding Achievement Award winners including Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, Miuccia Prada, Giorgio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Yvon Chouinard, Valentino Garavani, and Tom Ford.