The Fashion Awards To Return To The Royal Albert Hall

This  year's Fashion Awards in partnership with Swarovski will return to the grandiose venue of the Royal Albert Hall, the BFC announced this morning. Following last year's extravagant inaugural event under its new name, which also saw a shake-up in the accolades being presented, this year's ceremony promises the same spectacle when it takes place on Monday, December 4th.

This year's award categories - which will be voted for by a panel of fashion-industry professionals - were also announced this morning and are as follows:

British Designer of the Year - Womenswear
British Designer of the Year - Menswear
Accessories Designer of the Year
British Emerging Talent – Womenswear (including accessories)
British Emerging Talent – Menswear (including accessories)
Business Leader
Model of the Year
Urban Luxury Brand
Designer of the Year

There will also be three special-recognition awards which will be presented on the night but announced beforehand. These are The Outstanding Achievement Award; the Swarovski Award for Positive Change; and the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator.

"Last year, we set the goal of raising £10million in 10 years to educate talented young people. The resounding success of last year's awards, as a spectacular gala to honour so many incredible individuals and also as a fundraiser, reinforces that this is a target that the industry supports. Swarovski and the BFC share the goal to promote, support and educate talent," said BFC chairman Natalie Massenet today of the ceremony, which is the primary fundraiser for its Education Foundation. "We thank Swarovski for their generosity in supporting The Fashion Awards and our Education Foundation and look forward to welcoming the fashion industry on December 4th in London."

To support the foundation, Swarovski has pledged £300,000 to ensure "that young talent has access to the best education available, regardless of financial background", read a press release today, which came with a request to encourage the wider fashion industry to also donate at Fashionawards.com/donate. "By raising funds for the BFC Education Foundation each year, The Fashion Awards aims to secure a sustainable lifeline for the future generation of the industry, whose ability to study is impacted by the current level of tuition fees and living expenses."

"An essential part of Swarovski's mission is to nurture young designers and invest in the next generation of fashion talent," said member of the Swarovski Executive Board Nadja Swarovski. "Our mission aligns brilliantly with the British Fashion Council and The Fashion Awards, as these awards are both a celebration of the best in global fashion, and a vital platform to raise funds for the BFC's Education Foundation. Young designers are the heartbeat of our business, and it's up to all of us to foster and champion their visions to keep our industry thriving."

As well as Swarovski, the event has also secured big-name sponsorship from American Express, which will offer its card members an exclusive 72 hour pre-sale window to buy tickets to sit in the audience from August 15. After that, general sale tickets will be available from August 18th, on Ticketmaster.co.uk.

Ralph & Russo On Its First RTW Collection

British couture brand Ralph & Russo has shared its excitement about showing its first-ever ready-to-wear collection at London Fashion Week. The brand, headed up by Michael Russo and Tamara Ralph, is usually a regular on the Paris Couture Fashion Week schedule, but will bring its inimitable signature to the capital where it is based come September 15th. 

“With London being a cosmopolitan hub, we couldn’t think of a better place to launch our first ready-to-wear offering," said Russo today. "We continue to listen to the demand of our customer and the market, which will continue to fuel the expansion of the R&R product and universe."

It's a savvy move from the brand (favoured by Angelina Jolie) which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, during which time it has cemented its reputation as one of the hottest tickets in Paris and the worlds of couture and ready-to-wear to merge like never before in customers' wardrobes. A release from the label this afternoon said that its "first RTW collection will remain true to its brand DNA and heritage whilst expressing itself as an independent extension of the Ralph & Russo offering".

Praise came from British Fashion Council CEO Caroline Rush today, who said that she was "delighted to welcome Ralph & Russo to the London Fashion Week schedule. The craftsmanship behind their couture collection is a shining example of Britain’s artisanal heritage, and I’m excited to see their debut ready to wear collection."

The brand will be one of many new faces at the showcase next month, as Giorgio Armani and Tommy Hilfiger are both slated to join proceedings.

How Alibaba Has Turned The Tables Around

Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce platform, has made major headway in the last week to dispel the notion that it is a facilitator of counterfeit designer goods and solidify its position as a lead player on the international luxury fashion field.

Firstly, it announced last week that it has partnered with Kering to work together to stop rogue sellers profiting from illegally selling fakes on its numerous platforms (a major development, considering Kering and Alibaba have been locked in a legal tangle since 2015 when the French fashion conglomerate sued the latter twice for allegedly selling counterfeit versions of items from its stable of fashion houses that includes Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga). As per a report in the New York Times, the businesses released a joint statement in which they said "that they would establish a task force to share information and work with law enforcement to protect Kering’s brands", as well as "make use of Alibaba’s technology to seek out fakes".

Then, as a part of its "New Retail" plan, last week it created a special luxury pavilion on one of its most popular subsites, Tmall. Before now, luxury brands - while eager to target Chinese consumers who are increasingly investing in luxury at home and online - were hesitant to sell on the platform, which sells everything from food to fashion, as it could potentially be positioned alongside products that they felt were a bad match (like alcohol, pet food or medicine). By creating an environment that allows luxury houses to distance themselves from such brands and potential counterfeiters alike, as well as giving them access to the consumer market, Tmall boasted brands such as Burberry, La Mer, Hugo Boss, Maserati and Guerlain at launch, reports Digiday.com.

Now, it has partnered with the Marriot Hotel Group to offer members of its new luxury loyalty programme access to benefits offered by both businesses. “Consumers today, things have completely changed. More and more young consumers not only want to find goods and services, they are searching for a more spiritual side to stuff; they want to go everywhere in the world and have experiences,” Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said today, reports WWD. “There has been a lot of discussion about this ‘New Retail’ strategy but it all starts with the customers. Ultimately, it’s our job to bring new exposure to consumers, whether it’s a brand, experiences, services. It’s about giving consumers what they want.”

It's a far cry from last year when the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) suspended the membership of Alibaba, one week after brands including Kering-owned Gucci, Michael Kors and Tiffany & Co were said to have departed the coalition as a direct result of its being admitted, saying that they felt it was a part of the problem. At the time, Jennifer Kuperman, head of international corporate affairs at Alibaba Group, said that "the only way to solve the complex, industry-wide issue of counterfeiting is through strong industry collaboration and we believe that intermediaries, like Alibaba, must be an integral part of the solution."

The last week's worth of announcements show that working together to help achieve a common goal is a concept that's certainly catching on.

Peter Marino Says His Look Is "A Decoy"

While Peter Marino is most respected for his architectural talents, he is most recognisable by his distinctive sartorial style. But, according to the designer, the latter is "a decoy".

"Would you think you're talking to a bright architect looking at a guy like me?" the designer told 60 Minutes this weekend, adding that people shouldn't underestimate his mathematical clout just because he pays close attention to his appearance. "I had to get my license, and you gotta keep your license up-to-date. You have to take 18 credits a year. That's the hardest part. You gotta keep taking courses. Dude, they don't let you forget it."

A Fashion Week regular, Marino has worked for the biggest names in the industry, designing their shop spaces and architecting customer experiences for premises all over the world - Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Dior to name only a few - which demands a deft touch and an alternate view of the references that inspire him, as he told the show.

"I like more the fact that I like to think out-of-the-box," he said, when asked if he enjoyed people questioning his wardrobe tastes. "Thinking out-of-the-box goes along with dressing out-of-the-box and living out-of-the-box. If you want to come up with a really original design idea and you want to capture a whole new design direction, perhaps the best way to arrive at that is not by acting and thinking and doing like everybody else. That's all."

You Have To See Rihanna’s Barbados Carnival Outfit

Rihanna debuted a new turquoise hair do over the weekend, and yesterday she donned full festival regalia to fete the annual Crop Over festival in her native Barbados.

The pop star wore a bejewelled bikini with matching diamante jewellery, body gems and huge plumed wings for the colourful harvest celebration. Crystal-flecked fishnet tights and bright turquoise nail varnish finished the head-to-toe look, which the singer shared with fans via Instagram.

While the vibrant fiesta outfit recalls Rihanna's previous Barbadian carnival regalia, it is certainly a departure from her recent public appearances surrounding the Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets promo tour, and her political work promoting education in impoverished countries.

Just last week Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation implemented a bike-sharing scheme to help girls in Malawi get to school safely. Earlier in July, she visited Paris' Elysée Palace to discuss French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to aid the global education fund.

Her business-ready Balenciaga ensemble was ions away from the frothy couture dresses she wore on the Valerian red carpets, and her Barbados party ensemble another example of her chameleon-like style. Because if there's one person that can keep us on our toes, it's Rihanna.

Who’s Behind Celine Dion’s Couture Bag Prank?

When Dior posted an Instagram picture of Celine Dion carrying a Dior bag stamped with the word Céline above it, we thought – for a mere moment – that two of the most esteemed French fashion houses had collaborated on a bespoke accessory for the singer and couture fanatic.

Of course, no such accessory magic happened. The image, originally taken at the Dior Couture autumn/winter 2017 show on July 3, was doctored by fashion prankster Reilly. The artist superimposed the word Céline onto the bag to provoke “LOLs” on social media.

Similar spoof posts, such as Celine Dion starring as the face of Céline, or Chloë Sevigny as Chloé’s latest campaign star, have earnt the artist almost 60,000 Instagram followers.

If nothing else, the parody reminds us of Dion’s couture renaissance, a passion that earnt the singer her own hashtag “#celinetakescouture” at the recent couture shows. She might not have orchestrated a Dior X Céline tie-up, but she’s been a breath of fresh air on the scene of late. 

Bianca Balti Marries In Custom Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana darling Bianca Balti wed fiancé Matthew McRae on August 1 wearing a bespoke lace design by the Italian fashion house. Pictures of the nuptials at California’s Laguna Beach Ranch emerged on social media yesterday, as guests praised the bride’s beauty.

Widely known as one of Dolce & Gabbana’s leading ladies, having starred in campaigns and walked the runway shows for over 10 years, it’s no surprise that the Italian model looked to the brand for her big day.

Stefano Gabbana, who was in attendance, captioned his Instagram pictures of the bespoke gown, which featured voluminous cropped sleeves and an empire silhouette, “#DG family”, emphasising the close friendship between the brand founders and Balti. The Sports Illustrated star, who launched her debut swimwear line in June,made her vows alongside her two daughters, Matilde Lucidi and Mia McRae, who also wore white lace.