Tom Ford hails ‘inspirational’ London at The Fashion Awards

Tom – who was born in Austin, Texas – told the star-studded audience at the Royal Albert Hall: “I have lived in London longer than any other city. I moved to the Gucci design studio in the ’90s and when I started my own label I chose to do it here.

“There is so much life here, so much creativity, and so much of it is present here tonight. It is for me the most inspirational city in the world and I am so happy and so lucky to call it home.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan Anderson won the coveted Designer of the Year accolade for the second year in a row.

The 40-year-old designer overcame competition from John Galliano, Miuccia Prada, Rick Owens, Chemena Kamali and Pieter Mulier to claim the prize.

Jonathan said: “This job is not always the easiest, but I love fashion, it’s something that gets me out of bed every morning.

“To everyone who is wanting to be a fashion designer, the great thing about fashion is that we all go out of fashion. So there are loads of jobs to be taken downstairs, so come and get them.”

Elsewhere, Simone Rocha won the British Womenswear Designer of the Year gong at The Fashion Awards.

The 38-year-old designer explained in her acceptance speech that her collections actually “fuel [her] emotions”.

Simone – who saw off competition from Jonathan Anderson, Maximilian Davis, Roksanda Ilincic and Erdem Moralioglu to claim the award – said: “I’m very proud of the work I’ve produced. My collections fuel my emotions.”

Full list of award winners:

Designer of the Year:

Jonathan Anderson

British Womenswear Designer:

Simone Rocha

British Menswear Designer:

Grace Wales Bonner for Wales Bonner

New Establishment Womenswear:

Marco Capaldo for 16Arlington

New Establishment Menswear:

Priya Ahluwalia for Ahluwalia

BFC Foundation Designer:

Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena for Chopova Lowena

British Accessories Designer:

Stephen Jones

Model of the Year:

Alex Consani

Outstanding Achievement:

Tom Ford

Trailblazer:

Remo Ruffini

Cultural Innovator:

A$AP Rocky

Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator:

Tyler Mitchell

Pandora Leader of Change:

Issa Rae

Special Recognition:

Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou

Special Recognition:

Margaret Barbour

Special Recognition:

Nan Goldin and Gucci