Fashion

Meghan Markle makes surprise appearance at the Fashion Awards 2018

The Duchess of Sussex was presenting a very special prize on the night...

Meghan Markle and Clare Waight Keller

We know that she loves her work as a designer, but it appears that Meghan Markle is even more of a fan of Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller than we previously thought.

Meghan Markle

After wearing Clare’s stunning design for her wedding to Prince Harry in May, the Duchess has since worn many of her pieces for Givenchy on a variety of occasions, but proved her loyalty to the British designer in an even more focused way in London last night.

Andreas Kronthaler and Vivienne Westwood

During the Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, the Duchess made a surprise appearance to present Waight Keller with the British Designer of the Year Womenswear accolade, walking on stage to audible gasps from the audience. Wearing an elegant black one shoulder gown that hugged her baby bump, Meghan addressed the extremely surprised fashion industry stars before her. "It’s so nice to see so many familiar faces, many of you I’ve known for quite a while and there’s been a lot of you I’ve been able to meet in the last year," she said. "So, thank you for the warm welcome."

Kaia Gerber

As the first female creative director of Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller has championed a clean, sharp silhouette alongside traditional couture touches that has proven to mirror well - and largely shape - the new Duchess's public wardrobe.

Meghan Markle

Recognising a variety of people for being part of her success, Clare’s acceptance speech finished in a rather unplanned way. "Lastly, I was going to thank you," she said, gesturing to the Duchess when she collected her award. "Because this woman is so amazing. I got to know Meghan on such a personal level, and to have someone like that trust you in an incredible moment in their life is just such an unbelievable honour and I can't thank you enough."

Penelope Cruz

Celebrating the past 12 months of fashion with a glitzy ceremony in London, the Fashion Awards 2018 saw the likes of industry leaders Miuccia Prada and Kim Jones recognised alongside the next generation of design pioneers, such as Richard Quinn and Samuel Ross.

Victoria Beckham

Virgil Abloh

See the full list of nominees and winners below:

Accessories Designer of the Year

Winner: Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga

Alessandro Michele for Gucci
Jonathan Anderson for LOEWE
Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior
Miuccia Prada for Prada

Brand of the Year

Winner: Gucci

Balenciaga
Burberry
Gucci
Off-White
Prada

British Emerging Talent Menswear

Winner: Samuel Ross for A-COLD-WALL*

Ben Cottrell and Matthew Dainty for COTTWEILER
Eden Loweth & Tom Barratt for ART SCHOOL
Kiko Kostadinov for Kiko Kostadinov
Phoebe English for PHOEBE ENGLISH

British Emerging Talent: Womenswear

Winner: Richard Quinn for Richard Quinn

Matty Bovan for Matty Bovan
Natalia Alaverdian for A.W.A.K.E.
Rejina Pyo for REJINA PYO
Sofia Prantera and Fergus Purcell for Aries

Business Leader

Winner: Marco Bizzarri for Gucci

Jonathan Akeroyd for Versace
José Neves for FARFETCH
Marco Gobbetti for Burberry
Michael Burke for Louis Vuitton

Designer of the Year

Winner: Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino

Alessandro Michele for Gucci
Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy
Kim Jones for Dior Homme
Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino
Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton

British Designer of the Year: Menswear

Winner: Craig Green for Craig Green

Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson
Kim Jones for Dior Homme
Martine Rose for Martine Rose
Riccardo Tisci for Burberry

2018 Trailblazer Award

Kim Jones

Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator

Mert & Marcus

Outstanding Achievement

Miuccia Prada

Special Recognition Award for Innovation

Parley for the Oceans

British Designer of the Year: Womenswear