Fashion Export Awards

It was all about red carpet dresses and quintessentially British brands at the UK Fashion Export Awards. Red carpet designer Jenny Packham, favourite by Kiera Knightley and Mischa Barton, won the glamour category. Derbyshire-based John Smedley has 225 years’ experience in creating fine and took home two awards - the Gold, sponsored by HSBC, for long-standing export excellence, as well as the trophy for best heritage collection.

Other winners, who came from London, Scotland and Cambridgeshire, were Ben Sherman; Irish designer Orla Kiely; streetwear brand Supremebeing; ethically aware Scottish knitwear firm Eribé; eyewear specialists Cutler & Gross; footwear firm F-Troupe; Handwritten, women’s dresses and separates run by former Ghost founder Tanya Sarne; Playful Promises, flirty lingerie and swimwear; and quirky Japanese milliner Misa Harada. Lingerie and swimwear company Myla reached the finals with its first entry.

UK Fashion Exports (UKFE) is the export division of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), the body that represents the fashion and textile sector. The Awards were presented by HRH The Princess Royal and hosted by Joanna Lumley. HSBC and Scottish Development International were the headline sponsors.

Image: Jenny Packham AW09