Stars gather in London for 2025 fashion awards

Jonathan Anderson was named Designer of the Year award for his work at Dior and JW Anderson. (Getty Images)
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Updated 02 December 2025
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Stars gather in London for 2025 fashion awards

DUBAI: From Yasmine Hamdan to supermodel Iman, stars from the worlds of fashion and entertainment gathered on the red carpet at The Fashion Awards 2025 in London on Monday.

The event at the Royal Albert Hall was attended by celebrities such as actresses Cate Blanchett and Sienna Miller, the latter debuting her baby bump in a sheer Givenchy gown.

The ceremony, founded in 1989, is overseen by the British Fashion Council. This year marked the first under new council CEO Laura Weir.

Hosted by US actor Colman Domingo, the event and saw Jonathan Anderson named Designer of the Year award for his work at Dior and JW Anderson — the third year he has won the award. Taking to the stage, he said: “I love being in the house of Dior because it’s a massive challenge … I believe in collaboration, thank you so much for this honor.”

Givenchy’s Sarah Burton won British Womenswear Designer of the Year, with Grace Wales Bonner taking the menswear equivalent.

This year’s Vanguard Award went to Turkish designer Dilara Findokoglu. The Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator went to Rei Kawakubo, Adrian Joffe and Dickon Bowden for Dover Street Market, and the Outstanding Achievement Award was handed to Brunello Cucinelli.




US Sudanese model Anok Yai was named Model of the Year. (Getty Images)

US Sudanese model Anok Yai was named Model of the Year. Accepting her prize, an emotional Yai said: “To all the little Black girls watching me right now, your colour is not a curse … you are more powerful than you can imagine,” reported the BBC.

She took to the stage in a cream corseted custom gown by Dilara Findikoglu. The floor-length dress featured swathes of lace, crushed velvet and satin, and a dramatic train.

“Whenever you see a Dilara piece, you know that it’s her work right away … I love the romance of her pieces — there’s this raw, edgy darkness to it that I’ve been obsessed with,” Yai told Vogue magazine ahead of the ceremony.


Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week achieves $133 million

Updated 06 December 2025
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Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week achieves $133 million

DUBAI: Auction house Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week, which wrapped up on Friday night, achieved $133 million in sales, according to the auction house.

The series of auctions included jewelry, rare timepieces, collectors’ cars and real estate from RM Sotheby’s, and Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions, alongside a museum-quality exhibition of international fine art.

A waterfront estate in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat was sold for $20.1 million. (Supplied)

Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions opened the final evening, with a waterfront estate in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat achieving $20.1 million. The sale of Jane Birkin’s Le Voyageur, a one-of-a-kind black Hermes Birkin owned by the actress, soared to $2.9 million (est. $240,000-$440,000) after a bidding battle lasting more than 10 minutes. It is now the second most valuable handbag sold at auction, surpassed by the original Hermes Birkin created for Birkin in 1985, which achieved a record-breaking $10.1 million earlier this year.

Jane Birkin with her Le Voyageur bag. (Supplied)

Leading the sale of jewellery and watches was the first complete set of the Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000, which achieved $11.9 million, becoming the second most valuable watch sold at Sotheby’s. Meanwhile, The Desert Rose, the largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond in the world, climbed to $8.8 million (est. $5-$7 million) following an almost 20-minute bidding battle among five collectors.

The Desert Rose is the largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond in the world. (Supplied)

Participants hailed from 35 countries, with nearly a quarter of buyers from the UAE, according to Sotheby’s.