The Fashion Awards – an annual celebration of the great and the good of the British fashion industry – flew by tonight in a flash of immaculate tailoring, lab-grown diamonds and mounds of faux fur. On the red carpet, Christopher Kane’s Self-Portrait collection was given a run out by the likes of Gemma Chan and Lara Stone, while Ashley Graham gave the world a preview of newly-installed creative director David Koma’s vision for Blumarine. Alexa Chung arrived in every girl’s dream Christmas party outfit thanks to Miu Miu, while newly anointed Model of the Year Alex Consani nodded to London fashion history in her Union Jack-inspired Dilara Findikoglu dress.

Rihanna ensured the best was saved for last. Just as the last of the guests were ushered inside and the paps were lowering their lenses, she arrived in a cloud of teal fuzz (Christian Lacroix teal fuzz from autumn/winter 2002, to be precise), topped off with a fluffy hat of Brobdingnagian proportions.

The ceremony itself, presented once again by Maya Jama and Kojey Radical at London’s Royal Albert Hall, was a starry night throughout, with Tom Ford winning this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award, Issa Rae honoured with the Pandora Leader of Change Award and Jonathan Anderson taking home the coveted Designer of the Year award. A$AP Rocky was honoured with the Cultural Innovator Award, and British Vogue’s own Chioma Nnadi presented the Special Recognition Award to Gucci and Nan Goldin, who filmed and photographed the brand’s “We Will Always Have London” campaign. A prolific activist at 71, Goldin ended her acceptance speech with the words “free Palestine”, a sentiment that was echoed by Irish designer Simone Rocha when she collected the British Womenswear Designer Award.

As for the entertainment? The legendary Debbie Harry also took to the stage to treat the crowd to a surprise performance of “Heart Of Glass”, while Afropop star Wizkid closed the ceremony with his 2024 track “Troubled Mind”.

Designer of the Year

Chemena Kamali for Chloé

John Galliano for Maison Margiela

Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson & Loewe (winner)

Miuccia Prada for Miu Miu

Pieter Mulier for Alaïa

Rick Owens for Rick Owens