BIG NIGHT: Burberry, Anya Hindmarch and Charlotte Tilbury were among Walpole’s winners during the annual luxury awards ceremony at The Dorchester hotel on Nov. 14.
Walpole is the British alliance of luxury brands in a variety of sectors including fashion, accessories, beauty, travel and hospitality. The 15th edition of the awards also saw Ralph & Russo, Soho House Group and Mother of Pearl take prizes home.
Each year, Walpole asks nominees to come forward, and the winners are chosen by a panel of judges headed by Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods and Walpole’s chairman. This year, judges included Gillian de Bono, editor of the FT’s “How to Spend It” magazine, chef Marcus Wareing, and Peter Ting, curator, ceramic designer, and Crafts Council trustee.
The London-based couture house Ralph & Russo won for outstanding achievement, while Charlotte Tilbury scooped up brand of the year. Anya Hindmarch was awarded for digital innovation while Burberry was named champion of luxury sustainability.
Related Galleries
The winners of the emerging luxury talent award included set and interior designer Gary Card; bespoke tailor Kathryn Sargent; fashion brand Mother of Pearl; and chef Ben Murphy.
Walpole’s aim is to promote, protect and develop U.K. luxury through its mentoring programs, events, research, and public affairs activities work with the British government.
The organization said the U.K.’s high-end creative and cultural industries exports exceeded 25 billion pounds, or $31.5 billion, this year. It said the winners have been recognized for their quality, craftsmanship, design, innovation or experience and contribution to Britain’s luxury industry which is worth more than 32 billion pounds, or $40.3 billion, to the U.K. economy.
Among the other awards winners were Sunseeker yachts in the manufacturing category (a new one); Soho House Group for promoting British luxury overseas; Rolls-Royce Motor Cars for craftsmanship, and The Royal Collection Trust for its three-part “Fashioning a Reign” Exhibition at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Holyrood House in Edinburgh. Vanessa Kingori, publisher of GQ, won for leader in luxury.
Presenters included Nadja Swarovski, Tinie Tempah, Alice Temperley, Sarah Anderson, head of the Great campaign which promotes Britain abroad, actor Stanley Tucci, and Lady Kitty Spencer, a daughter of the 9th Earl Spencer and a niece of the late Princess Diana.
Walpole also runs annual mentoring programs including Brands of Tomorrow, Crafted, and the Programme in Luxury Management at London Business School.