British Fashion Council Awards McQueen's Sarah Burton

LONDON, England - The British Fashion Council announced Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen as the winner of The British Fashion Awards esteemed 'Designer of the Year' award 2011. Burton's creative direction at Alexander McQueen has allowed McQueen's legacy to live on while still giving her own twist of creative genius to a collection that has outshone its rivals on and off the catwalk.

Hosted by George Lamb and Lauren Laverne the awards ceremony celebrated and recognised excellence achieved in the industry this year. The event was attended by industry leaders, designers, retailers, models, celebrities and media supporting both the nominees and winners of these prestigious awards. Attendees included BFC Ambassador Samantha Cameron, Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson, Colin Firth, Olivia Palermo, Josephine de la Baume, Marc Jacobs, Lady Amanda Harlech and Alexa Chung.

The 'New Establishment Award' was introduced this year to recognise a particular movement in British fashion that is taking the industry by storm. The inaugural winner is Christopher Kane whose visionary designs for his own label continue to lead trends globally, become must haves for any fashion credible shoot and essentials for all fashion collectors.

The 'Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator' was won by Sam Gainsbury of Gainsbury and Whiting. Gainsbury is a force to be reckoned with in the creative world; known in the fashion industry for translating designers' visions into unparalleled fashion experiences.

This year she turned her talents to the 'Savage Beauty' exhibition which broke all records and has been widely recognised as the most successful fashion exhibition in the world.

The 'Red Carpet' award went to many celebrities favourite this year, Stella McCartney, recognising the quantity and quality of her designs worn on the red carpet, creating global awareness in the media.

Victoria Beckham was the recipient of the 'Designer Brand' award. Her business has focused growth strategy with each new product range receiving media praise and achieving high levels of sell through. She is her own customer and this insight has created a label with many loyal followers across the globe.

London is known for innovation in the fashion world and this year's 'Emerging Talent' awards only highlight further the extraordinary fashion talents in this city: Mary Katrantzou was awarded the 'Emerging Talent - Womenswear' award for her bold graphic print collections that were seen on everyone from Hailee Steinfeld to Alexa Chung.

Tabitha Simmons earned recognition for her footwear brand by winning the 'Emerging Talent Award- Accessories' and Christopher Raeburn received the award for 'Emerging Talent Award -Menswear', a brand new category for 2011, recognising Christopher's pioneering ethical designs.

Kim Jones was awarded 'Menswear Designer', for being instrumental in enhancing men's fashion in the past year. He was appointed Style Director at Louis Vuitton earlier this year.

Stella Tennant collected the 'Model' award, her timeless beauty has seen her feature in numerous shows, covers, editorials and major campaigns which this year included Zara, Reed Krakoff, Etro, Chanel and Celine.

The hotly contested 'Accessory Designer of the Year' recipient was Charlotte Dellal for her footwear label Charlotte Olympia which is inspired by the glamour of the 40s and 50s.

The British Fashion Award for 'Outstanding Achievement in Fashion', which recognises one designer who throughout their career has made an impact on the industry internationally, went to the inspirational Paul Smith who is a true icon in the industry for all that he consistently brings to the world of fashion.

Decided entirely by public vote, the 'British Style' award, brought to you by Vodafone, recognises an individual who embodies the spirit of the city and is an international ambassador for London as a leading creative fashion capital. Alexa Chung won this award for the 2nd year running.

This award received more votes than ever before showing the increasing engagement from consumer audiences in fashion. Vodafone sponsored this award after being unveiled as the new Principal Sponsor of London Fashion Week for the next seven seasons.

Harold Tillman CBE, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, commented, "This year's nominees demonstrate the breadth and creativity London has to offer. The fashion brands and designers that are based here set the trends across the globe. In addition, we are thrilled to be working alongside Save the Children on their Born to Walk Tall campaign, championed by our BFC Ambassador Samantha Cameron, this year."

This year's British Fashion Awards sponsors are MAC, Toni&Guy and Vodafone.

For more information please visit www.britishfashionawards.com