The Herald can exclusively reveal the full list of nominees for the sixth annual awards night, which will take place in the Glasgow Science Centre on June 15. London Fashion Week favourites Christopher Kane and Holly Fulton have both been nominated for Designer of the Year, as has Glasgow School of Art graduate Jonathan Saunders, who picked up the title last year. Cumbernauld-based brand Mackintosh, whose famous raincoats are still proving a fashion hit, has been nominated for Retailer of the Year.
The Herald, the event’s media partner, is sponsoring the Scottish Textile Brand of the Year category, which features Harris Tweed Hebrides and knitwear label Eribe on the shortlist.
The Scottish Fashion Awards, which takes place in association with Vogue.com and Swarovski, also includes categories such as Accessory Designer of The Year, Style Icon and Young Designer of The Year.
For the second year the awards ceremony will include a Graduate of The Year category. As revealed in The Herald in March, last year’s graduate winner, Edinburgh School of Art student Jett Sweeney, designed a limited-edition black dress for Marks & Spencer as part of her prize. There will also be a Hall of Fame award, details of which will be announced on the night.
Tessa Hartmann, chairman and founder of the event, said: “I can’t believe it’s been six years since our inaugural event at Stirling Castle. It’s such a thrill and honour to provide this invaluable and now global stage for the wealth of fashion talent that hails from Scotland.
“There is this incredible thirst for all things Scottish and fashionable, which was clearly evident in the autumn/winter collections where there was an abundance of Harris Tweed, luxurious cashmeres, hand knitting and major Scottish names competing internationally.
“Every year we find new gems, from the young designer sector to overseas where we scour the international fashion scene to find Scots doing well. The awards are now well established as a benchmark of success and the nominees represent the most definitive list of Scottish fashion players.”
This year the Scottish Fashion Awards will be judged by some of the most respected names in the industry. Dolly Jones, editor of Vogue.com, will sit on the panel alongside the president of Ralph Lauren Europe, Brian Duffy, who was born in Glasgow. They will be joined by Professor Wendy Dagworthy from the Royal College of Art in London and Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council.
The ceremony will be hosted for the second year in a row by MTV presenter Laura Whitmore and followed by a VIP gala dinner. Sponsors include Mercedes-Benz West of Scotland, Glasgow Airport, Bobbi Brown, Malmaison and high-street brand Warehouse.
Ms Jones said: “The talent pool for the Scottish Fashion Awards gets better each year, making our job increasingly difficult. The kudos of winning one of the awards, though, has increased as the style bar is raised – so it makes the event all the more exciting. I can’t wait to see who wins.”
Nathalie Colin, from Swarovski, said: “Swarovski is delighted to partner with the awards for a third year. This is the best platform to promote Scottish fashion talent who express their creativity internationally.”
l See The Herald Magazine this Saturday for our in-depth look at the nominees, as well as our interview with Mackintosh boss Daniel Dunko.