The Fashion Awards will return to London’s Royal Albert Hall on Monday 2nd December, with presenter Maya Jama and music artist Kojey Radical once again lending their skills as co-hosts.

Not only are the awards a glamorous and star-studded affair, but they also serve a much wider purpose. The annual event is the main fundraiser for the BFC (British Fashion Council) Foundation, which supports the future growth and success of the British fashion industry through its focus on education, grant-giving and business mentoring. The charity was founded in 2019 and this year, it is able to support 35 designers and a handful of students.

Uniting the global fashion community in London, with principal partner Pandora, the awards celebrate excellence across the full spectrum of the industry. Categories include Designer of the Year, British Menswear Designer, British Womenswear Designer, British Accessories Designer and Model of the Year to name a few. The shortlist for each was defined by a select jury of press and buyers, and are now being voted on by a committee of 1,000 industry leaders before the winners are announced on the night.

The top prize is undeniably the Designer of the Year award. This year’s nominees are behind the buzziest fashion moments and items of 2024: Chemana Kamali for Chloé, who with just two collections as creative director has resurged its heyday boho aesthetic; John Galliano for Margiela, who created waves through the industry with his groundbreaking SS24 couture show; last year’s winner Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson and Loewe; the ever-fabulous Miucca Prada for Miu Miu, where sales spiked 105% year-on-year in the brand’s latest revenues; Peter Mulier for Alaïa, who hosted a dazzlingly unique show at New York’s Guggenheim museum for Spring/Summer 2025; and finally, a man who needs no introduction, the dark lord of fashion himself, Rick Owens for Rick Owens.

2023’s winner Jonathan Anderson is also up for British Menswear Designer of the Year and British Womenswear Designer of the Year, for his much-coveted work at both his eponymous London-based label JW Anderson and Spanish heritage house Loewe. With his name deservedly in the ring for three awards, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be walking away empty handed. However, he is up against stiff competition in all categories—the menswear designers include Grace Wales Bonner, Kiko Kostadinov, Kim Jones (who announced last month he would be leaving his womenswear post at Fendi, while remaining as menswear creative director at Dior) and last year’s winner Martine Rose.

Aside from Anderson, the British Womenswear nominees include Erdem Moralıoğlu, Maximilian Davis, who took home the award in 2023 for his vision at Italian label Ferragamo, Roksanda Ilinčić and Simone Rocha. With her latest ballet inspired collection, a recent coffee table book with Rizzoli, and Crocs collab styles continuously worn by anyone who is anyone, our money will be on Simone (she previously won the title in 2016).

The Accessories Brand category has some exciting new talent — Anna Jewsbury, who continues to impress London Fashion Week attendees with her innovative presentations for jewellery and ceramics label Completedworks (we’re still thinking about Joanna Lumley cutting a vase cake for AW24) and Helen Kirkum, who upcycles and reworks trainers into entirely new, one-of-a-kind styles, is leading the charge in cool sustainable footwear.

The New Establishment Womenswear category is also particularly compelling. An award which “recognises designers who have created a new movement in British fashion and a sustained impact on the industry globally”, last year’s well-deserved winners were Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena, the design duo behind Chopova Lowena, whose pleated, carabiner suspended kilts are a staple amongst the fashion set. This year, Jawara Alleyne, who was name checked by Rihanna in April as her favourite designer enters the running, along with Dilara Fındıkoğlu, whose darkly feminine designs made her a strongly rumoured successor to Sarah Burton at McQueen last year (the job went to Sean McGirr instead). If there’s any category to watch, it’s this one.

Last year, Paloma Elesser made history by being the first plus-size model to win the Model of the Year award (unfortunately she faced a huge backlash from fatphobic trolls online following her win). This year, could previous nominee Alex Consani — who has been everywhere from the recently revived Victoria’s Secret show to fronting Ugg’s Autumn/Winter 2024 campaign — make history as the first trans model to win? We certainly hope so, just minus the trolls.