The British Fashion Council announced the nominees for the 2016 Fashion Awards last week in Los Angeles. British Fashion Council chairwoman Natalie Massenet, along with Karlie Kloss, an ambassador for Swarovski and the event’s lead partner, announced the candidates.

Back in April, media outlet Business of Fashion revealed that the British Fashion Council would be revamping its annual fashion awards into a global event. They dubbed it as “London’s answer to the Met Ball” and the British Fashion Council ensured it would be “a mix of the Academy Awards and the Met Ball.”

Connor Bahng | Staff Photographer

The awards have been striving to rebrand themselves, hence the name change from the British Fashion Awards to the 2016 Fashion Awards. It also introduced the category “International Urban Luxury Brand” in recognition of the growth of streetwear.

This year’s nominees were selected by a group of 1,500 fashion industry figures from more than 40 different countries. The Council added new categories like International Accessories Designer and International Model to the classic categories like British Womenswear Designer and British Menswear Designer.

Nominees include Vetements, Adidas, Gosha Rubchinskiy, Palace and Virgil Abloh’s Off-White. The council featured its most diverse list of nominees in its history, featuring It Girl models like Kendall Jenner as well as Bella and Gigi Hadid, alongside fashion veterans like Burberry and Alexander McQueen.

Tom Ford, Alexander McQueen and Wales Bonner are just a few of the well-known names up for awards this year. Houses like Burberry, Gucci, Versace and Givenchy are all up for various awards. Designer Guram Gvasalia is competing for International Business Leader for his role at Vetements. His brother, Demna, is nominated for International Ready-to-Wear Designer because of his work at Balenciaga.

“Huge congratulations to all the Fashion Awards 2016 nominees! It’s an incredible achievement and a very well-deserved recognition for their achievements this year,” Massenet said. “The shortlisted nominees prove the incredible talent we are so fortunate to work with both at home and abroad.”

The Fashion Awards are going to be held in front of 4,000 guests at The Royal Albert Hall in London on Dec. 5. The event will double as the inaugural fundraiser gala for the BFC Education Foundation in support of young and upcoming designers. In addition to announcing the winners, the Council will also recognize the career milestones of five individuals and celebrate the roles of creative influencers in the fashion industry.

“This year’s ceremony will be thrilling and I look forward to welcoming all our guests to London and to what has become one of the most-anticipated highlights of the global fashion calendar,” Massenet said in the release.

Here are a few ways you can achieve the looks made famous by this year’s nominees.

Connor Bahng | Staff Photographer

Jenner and the Hadid sisters are known for their influential style, particularly concerning streetwear and their signature “athleisure.” Often seen in Adidas sweatshirts and sneakers, the models are the epitome of chic streetwear. Pair a casual white top with leggings and Adidas Superstars to get the look. For a dressed up version, swap the tee for an off-the-shoulder white crop top and pair it with a bold leather skirt and black booties.

Connor Bahng | Staff Photographer

There’s a commonality between brand nominees Tom Ford, Alexander McQueen and Wales Bonner: they push the envelope. It’s impossible to have a boring look when wearing their clothes. Another commonality is that their high-end style is easy to translate to casual streetwear and still maintain the signature cool that comes with each brand. Essential items for this are a leather jacket, dark jeans, a casual button-up shirt, suspenders and Oxfords. For a more casual approach, opt for a T-shirt instead of a button-up and suspenders, or swap the Oxfords for combat boots or Chuck Taylors.

Published on October 31, 2016 at 9:08 pm