The British Fashion Council (BFC) announces the award categories for The Fashion Awards in partnership with SWAROVSKI as voting goes live to an international panel of 1,500 industry influencers.

Hosted at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 5th December 2016, The Fashion Awards will celebrate the best fashion talent of 2016 from the global fashion community. The Fashion Awards will be the inaugural annual fundraiser gala for the British Fashion Council Education Foundation charity, which offers scholarships to talented young people to study BAs and MAs at the best fashion universities in the UK.

The voting panel, which includes media, retailers, CEOs and creatives will decide on ten awards to be allocated on the night. Seven of these are international with nominees from all over the world – as well as designer brands these will include awards for behind-the-scenes decision makers. Four will be for British talent, recognising the host city London. The special recognition awards that will celebrate outstanding contributions to the fashion industry will be announced ahead of the evening.

The four British awards will be: British Menswear Designer of the Year, British Womenswear Designer of the Year, British Brand and Emerging Talent Award.

Awards which will be open to both British and international talent will be: Model of the Year, Ready-to-Wear Designer of the Year, Accessories Designer of the Year, Urban Luxury, Fashion Icon, Creative Influencer and Business Leader.

The special recognition awards, also international, will include: Outstanding Achievement Award, Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, Special Recognition Award and SWAROVSKI Award for Positive Change.

The Fashion Icon award will be voted for by the public.

Tickets for the general public to attend The Fashion Awards 2016 are now on sale. For more information visit: fashionawards.com.

As well as raising money for scholarships, the Education Foundation also offers funding for apprenticeships to develop much needed industry skills and aims to raise £10million over the next ten years. Donations to the charity can be made online via fashionawards.com/About/BFC-Education-Foundation.

This celebration has been an important part of the fashion calendar since 1989 and has become one of the most important nights in fashion. Last year’s ceremony saw over 450 VIPs and industry heavyweights in attendance, alongside a sold out auditorium of over 2,000 guests, with attendees including Anna Wintour OBE, David Beckham OBE, Karl Lagerfeld, Karlie Kloss, Lady Gaga, Lewis Hamilton, Naomi Campbell, Nick Knight OBE, Olivier Rousteing, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham.

The generosity and commitment of our sponsors is more vital than ever. Please help us by acknowledging our Principal Sponsor SWAROVSKI for their support of The Fashion Awards 2016. Official Presenting Sponsors of the event are M•A•C and TONI&GUY, with Mercedes-Benz as Official Sponsor.