Fashion

Homecoming ice queen Wintour to be honoured at the British Fashion Awards

Editor-in-chief of US Vogue, to be presented with an award for Outstanding Achievement

Tue Nov 11 2014 - 12:26

Anna Wintour will fly in from New York to be honoured in her home town of London, when she is presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Fashion Awards on 1 December.

BFC Chairman Natalie Massenet described Wintour, who has helmed American Vogue for 26 years, as "one of Britain's most successful exports" while Sarah Burton, designer at Alexander McQueen, praised her "truly outstanding" contribution to British fashion.

The award reflects how far Wintour's power and influence extends beyond the pages of American Vogue. Known throughout the industry as 'Anna', Wintour is the fashion industry's foremost agenda-setter, kingmaker and matchmaker. Any luxury house looking to appoint a new designer will seek to canvas Anna's opinion before making a decision. She has been instrumental in developing business support and mentoring systems for young designers, in fundraising for HIV and AIDS charities and for the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Christopher Bailey of Burberry, speaking in support of the announcement of the award, praised Wintour's "passion and innate generosity".

Anna has helped matchmake First Ladies, Oscar-winning actresses and royalty with designers in mutually beneficial relationships. She advised Princess Diana in the 1980s, and was credited with nudging Hillary Clinton into Donna Karan in the early 1990s.

Her nodded approval has the power to make or break the career of designers. For a young designer, who cannot afford a catwalk show but has hired a showroom to display his wares to editors and buyers during fashion week, a five-minute cameo appearance by Wintour shoulder-robing a Prada coat, sunglasses on, iPhone and Blackberry in hand, can be the difference between gaining traction and sinking without trace. "I owe so much to Anna for believing in me since the very beginning; without her loyal support and friendship over the past 10 years, I would not be where I am today," said Christopher Kane yesterday.

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Anna has helped matchmake First Ladies, Oscar-winning actresses and royalty with designers in mutually beneficial relationships. She advised Princess Diana in the 1980s, and was credited with nudging Hillary Clinton into Donna Karan in the early 1990s. Her networking skills have boosted her own status, but have also served to give the fashion industry a platform in public life. The fact that Wintour's name has been seriously mooted as a candidate for ambassadorships reflects how far beyond fashion her power now extends. Even the uproar over Vogue's deeply misguided, fawning profile of Asma Al-Assad did not seriously dent the Wintour sheen.

At 65, Wintour is more powerful than ever. She was recently awarded the title of Artistic Director at Conde Nast, adding overarching creative control over all the publishing house's American titles to her remit at Vogue.

This is the second consecutive year in which the Outstanding Achievement award has honoured a contribution made through a career in magazines, last year, the recipients were Terry and Trish Jones of iD. Previously, the award has been given to Sir Paul Smith and Manolo Blahnik.