Belinda Earl and Alison Lowe named in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Marks and Spencer’s style director Belinda Earl is among the fashion names in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours, alongside fashion agency founder Alison Lowe, model Erin O’Connor, and designer Sir Terence Conran.

The honours list mark’s the Queen’s official birthday and saw Earl awarded an OBE for her services to retail. Earl is one of the retail industries most high profile women, she was chief executive at Jaeger as well as at Debenhams, and joined Marks and Spencer in 2012 as its style director.

There was also recognition for Alison Lowe director and founder of fashion agency Felicities, which has built a reputation as supporting emerging designers, who was awarded an MBE for her services to the fashion industry.

Commenting on her MBE, Lowe said: “I am humbled that I should be considered for such an award. I have always been passionate about supporting emerging fashion designers and I have been lucky to work with so many talented young people.

“I could not have achieved this honour without the support of my daughters, family, friends and the hard work of numerous colleagues over many years.”

As well as running Felicities, Lowe also teaches on several business courses at London College of Fashion, developing courses for the college up to and including MSc level, as well as being a consultant and industry expert for international online training provider Mastered and is a regular guest speaker at international fashion weeks, conferences, events and universities.

Fashion and retail names honoured by the Queen

There were also MBE honours for model Erin O’Connor for services to fashion and charity and Adetola Kunle-Hassan, founder of Nubian Skin, the lingerie and hosiery brand for women of colour, for services to fashion.

Designer Sir Terence Conran, best known for designing a shop interior for Mary Quant and founding his own home furnishing store Conran, was named a member of the Order of Companions of Honour for his services to design.

While Frank Lowy, chairman of Westfield Corporation, was appointed a Knight Bachelor for services to business and philanthropy, through his “contribution to the UK economy through the company he founded, Westfield, and its major investments in the UK”.

There was also a CBE for Nora Senior, former president of the British Chambers of Commerce and former chair of the Scottish Chambers for her services to the Scottish and UK Business Community.

This year’s list makes the centenary year of the Queen’s birthday honours and has been hailed as one of the most diverse yet, with half of the 1,109 names listed being women, while 10 percent come from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, the greatest ever number of recipients in an Honours list, and 6.5 percent of the recipients consider themselves to have a disability.

Other well-known names in the list include author J.K. Rowling and singers Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé, musician Sir Paul McCartney, actress Julie Walters, and tennis coach Judy Murray.

Image: Alison Lowe via Felicities Facebook