British Fashion Council reveals New Wave: Creatives For The Fashion Awards 2026
London, Wednesday 21st October 2026 – Today, the British Fashion Council (BFC) unveils its 2026 NEW WAVE: Creatives, a list of 50 of the most innovative and inspiring young creative talents. The dynamic list brings together trailblazers from across a diverse range of disciplines and celebrates the role they play in supporting and shaping the global fashion industry. This year’s list introduces beauty commentators and show producers alongside casting directors, photographers, art directors, hair and makeup artists, image makers, nail artists, set designers, stylists and cultural commentators. The final 50 will be celebrated as part of The Fashion Awards 2026 on Monday 30th November 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
The NEW WAVE: Creatives list is a resource designed to connect talent with opportunity and support the discovery of new creative voices within the fashion industry. With the ability to explore and filter profiles by discipline, country and year, the platform offers a valuable and evolving starting point for building creative teams and tapping into the talent, ideas and cultural perspectives shaping the zeitgeist.
Laura Weir, Chief Executive, British Fashion Council: “Fashion moves forward when new voices and perspectives are heard and given room to grow. NEW WAVE: Creatives celebrates the people shaping our industry, often behind the scenes, and recognises the breadth of talent from across a diverse range of creative disciplines that contribute to fashion’s cultural influence. It’s a real privilege to bring this community into the spotlight at The Fashion Awards and celebrate the creativity, ideas and individuality that make our industry so exciting.”
Voting began with nominations from last year’s cohort of NEW WAVE: Creatives, allowing them to support their peers and shape the final list. These nominations were then presented to an influential industry panel who defined the final group of recipients for 2026. The panel featured some of the global fashion community’s most respected voices, including: Aidan Zamiri, Photographer and Film Maker, Ali Pirzadeh, Hair Stylist, Ben Grimes, Casting Director, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Fashion Editor and Stylist, Gursi Singh and Amrita Khanna, Design Duo of Lovebirds, Hanan Besovic, IDeserveCouture, Ib Kamara, Stylist and Creative Director, Isabella Burley, Editor and Creative Consultant, Jacob K, Stylist and Creative Director, Jordan Hemingway, Photographer and Film Maker, Patricia Zhou, Choreographer, Paul White, Creative Director of Escentric Molecules, Sharna Osborne, Photographer and Film Maker, Simone Rocha, Designer and Creative Director of Simone Rocha, Steff Yotka, E-I-C i-D Magazine, Tati Cotliar, Stylist and Creative Director and Tolu Coker, Designer and Creative Director of Tolu Coker.
TFA is the world’s biggest fashion fundraiser and a defining global platform for British fashion, celebrating its cultural power and the creative voices shaping its future.
The BFC thanks Presenting Partner Pandora and Official Partners Johnnie Walker and The Peninsula London whose commitment makes TFA possible.
ABOUT BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL, The British Fashion Council (BFC), founded in 1983, is a not-for-profit trade association that exists to support, defend and promote British fashion globally, supporting designers and businesses to build creative and commercial resilience. Through its core platforms, including London Fashion Week and The Fashion Awards, the BFC strengthens the global impact of British fashion, drives cultural relevance, international visibility and industry investment. The Fashion Awards is the world’s biggest fashion fundraiser, raising funds for the BFC Foundation. Established in 2019, the BFC Foundation (Registered Charity Number: 11852152) underpins the UK’s creative pipeline, supporting creatives from education through to global business growth via its Prizes and Programmes. Collectively, this work positions British fashion as a driver of the UK’s creative economy and a force in global cultural influence.
Images by British Fashion Council. PR Agency Purple PR.