Stella McCartney, Virgil Abloh and more share their new year’s resolutions
2017 is coming to an end, and London celebrated last night with an evening of all-out glamour. The London Fashion Awards, which took place at the capital’s historic Royal Albert Hall, celebrated the industry’s top dogs, culminating with Raf Simons taking home the coveted Designer of the Year award for his impact at Calvin Klein.
This is the second year that the awards celebrated fashion on a global scale, since the British Fashion Council—which organizes London Fashion Week—decided to expand the ceremony beyond its U.K. roots.
British comedian Jack Whitehall shared hosting duties with supermodel Karlie Kloss. Rita Ora had her hands full as both performer and presenter as she honored the legendary Donatella Versace with the Fashion Icon of the Year Award, while Naomi Campbell gave a deeply personal tribute to the late Azzedine Alaïa. Anna Wintour presented Christopher Bailey with an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Fashion for his game-changing work at Burberry. Other winners of note included Jonathan Anderson, Pat McGrath, Marco Bizzari, and Craig Green. It was an evening of nostalgia and praise for the past, but with a hopeful nod to the future too.
So what does the future hold? We spoke to six of last night’s winners to see if they stuck to their resolutions for this year and to hear what they’re hoping to make happen in 2018. It’s no crystal ball, but it’s a sneak peek into what might be in store for the rag trade in the coming months.
JONATHAN ANDERSON
“The best New Year’s Eve resolution I ever made was to try and spend as least money as possible in the first two months of the year. For next year, I’m going to try to stop smoking, but that’s the same as every year…”
CRAIG GREEN
“I’m not sure it’s the best, it’s just the one I make every single year, to give up smoking. I start again by the end of the year, and then I give up again, and then start again. It’s more like a wheel of resolution.”
“For 2018, the fashion industry should scrap [U.K.] tuition fees. I wouldn’t have been able to go to university if I had to pay for it. Luckily I got a scholarship, but they don’t exist anymore. It’s very, very important that we support young creatives, and give them the chance to make mistakes.”
STELLA McCARTNEY
“The resolution I made last year was don’t sweat the small stuff. Within about a week, that was done … This year, don’t sweat the small stuff.”
CHARLES JEFFREY
“The fashion industry needs to continue to put in all the hard work into the education system. I mean the fact is, I was able to do my MA because of funding in place. I think that the industry should continue to do what they are doing, if not more.”
“Next year, I’m going to give myself some time off, look after myself a bit more, and continue to look after my friends and family a bit.”
VIRGIL ABLOH
“The best New Year’s resolution I ever made was probably to like, pursue fashion in the spirit that I have now. My friends and me, we’re the type that don’t care. We’re not into fashion, that’s like millennial spirit. I was like, sort of the same, but not that lazy you know. I’m really into work. So it’s that, all my friends that don’t like fashion, they know about every new sneaker, and new pair of jeans, so I just decided that one of us should make stuff, instead of being a critic.”
ADWOA ABOAH
“The best New Year’s Eve resolution I’ve ever made was, actually maybe not best, but important, was I finished everything that happened, I went away with my family, and I decided at that point, it was actually New Year’s, that I was going to start taking on people’s advice and stop doing it my own way. Everything started changing after that.”
