QEII Award For British Design
The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design was initiated in recognition of the role the fashion industry plays in society and diplomacy and to spotlight young designers who are talented and making a difference to society through either sustainable practices or community engagement. The inaugural Award was announced and presented to Richard Quinn in February 2018 when The Queen made Her Majesty’s first visit to London Fashion Week. In 2019, the prestigious Award was presented to Bethany Williams by The Duchess of Cornwall, in 2020 to Rosh Mahtani by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, in 2021 to Priya Ahluwalia by Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex and in 2022 to Saul Nash by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.
2023 Winner
In May 2023, LABRUM London was announced as the recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. His Majesty King Charles III presented the award to founder and creative director Foday Dumbuya during an event at 180 Studios in London. Founded by creative director Foday Dumbuya in 2015, this year’s recipient LABRUM London is known for its representation of West African culture through a modern lens. The brand’s philosophy is centred on creating directional and purposeful pieces, by narrating untold stories of the diaspora. The label expertly fuses West African culture with traditional British heritage through reinterpreted, functional silhouettes and distinctive prints.
2022 Winner
In May 2022, Saul Nash was announced as the recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The Award was presented by The Duchess of Cambridge, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, in the Platinum Jubilee year during an event at The Design Museum in London. Nash – both a designer and a choreographer - was recognised for his innovative take on design; developing new materials whilst actively pioneering a new frontier within the industry – imbuing sportswear design with an exploration of heritage, performance and technical innovation.
2021 Winner
In February 2021, Priya Ahluwalia of Ahluwalia, was announced as the recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The Award was presented by Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, during a virtual event. Ahluwalia was recognised for her active contribution to changing the industry for the better, her work in pioneering responsible sourcing and manufacturing techniques, while telling the stories of those who make her clothes and the communities she works with.
2020 Winner
In February 2020, Rosh Mahtani of Alighieri, was announced as the recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The award was presented by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen. Mahtani was recognised for the craftmanship of her jewellery which is produced in Hatton Garden, for using responsibly sourced materials, promoting local manufacturing and supporting employment.
2019 Winner
In February 2019, Bethany Williams was announced as the recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The award was presented by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen at London Fashion Week.
Bethany Williams was recognised for championing social and environmental causes and challenging perceptions with a perspective that is a true representation of what positive fashion means. Williams has partnered with charities supporting social change across women’s empowerment, homelessness, successful rehabilitation of offenders back into society, improving literacy amongst the most vulnerable in society and education programmes teaching skills and creating employment for those with the most limited opportunities and prospects.
2018 Winner
In Febraury 2018, Her Majesty The Queen presented the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to emerging British fashion designer Richard Quinn.
Richard was recognised for his exceptional prints and had already been marked for success as part of the BFC’s NEWGEN talent identification and support scheme. Already selling to leading stores around the world, his ethos of collaboration goes beyond his design business which has seen collaborations with global stores such as Lane Crawford and Matches, into creating a print studio, offering high quality, price accessible services to students, his peer group of emerging designers and more recently offering sampling services to more established businesses such as Burberry and JW Anderson.