A Close Second to Meghan Markle's Baby Kicking

Meghan Markle’s baby kicking in front of a global audience on Monday evening may have gone viral but there is more to recognize about Monday night’s British Fashion Council Awards. 

The annual ceremony hosted at the iconic Royal Albert Hall recognizes business leaders and creatives in the global fashion industry. The event is the pinnacle of the BFC’s fundraising efforts that support the future creative talent within the industry.

To win an award is no small feat as the international judging panel is made up of over 2,000 key industry figures and let’s just say “great minds think alike” — because we agreed with all the selections! Brand of the year went to Alessandro Michele’s Gucci (shocker!), Kaia Gerber took Model of the Year, and Clare Waight Keller took womenswear designer of the year for her work at Givenchy. None of these choices were surprising but BFC’s choice to make sustainability  a star at this glamorous event was.

Vivienne Westwood was awarded the Swarovski Award for Positive Change for her activism towards climate-change. The founder of Parley for the Oceans collected the Special Recognition Award for Innovation for his pioneering work removing plastic from the sea (ummm remember, we told you about the Adidas partnership with them?).

And finally, a woman we look up to, Stella McCartney, was awarded the first ever Special Recognition Award For Innovation. Her commitment to sustainability and animal rights stands alone and she’s been a voice for change in the fashion world for almost two decades. It’s about damn time she was recognized for it. 

McCartney told Vogue,  “It’s extraordinary that I started this conversation a long time ago and now it’s in the room and people are engaged and people aren’t angry or dismissive. Now they’re actually OK to pay some attention to that”

In regards to McCartney’s innovative uses of materials like plastics reclaimed from the ocean or viscose from sustainable forests, the designer told Vogue, “I love that side of the industry. It’s the future of fashion – the fact that we can use less water, less energy, use our land, our resources and the planet’s resources in a more efficient way - I think it’s fascinating and I think it’s the only way forward.”

Congrats to all the winners, especially our girl Stella! We hope more designers will follow in her footsteps and steals this award from her next year!