Valentino's Pierpaolo Piccioli triumphs as designer of the year

Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino's creative director, won the Designer of the Year award, the most prestigious one given at the Fashion Awards whose ceremony was held yesterday at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The designer of the year was chosen by an international jury of 1,000 industry figures, and this year's other nominees were Jonathan Anderson, Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta and Miuccia Prada. Piccioli's biggest success this year, besides the Haute Couture show on the steps of Trinità de' Monti in Rome, was the Pink PP collection, which made hot pink the color of the year.

The Fashion Awards event, in addition to an awards ceremony, is also a fundraiser for the BFC Foundation, which supports the growth and success of British fashion by focusing on talent, education, grant-making and business mentoring The BFC said that in the 2021-22 financial year it disbursed more than £1.3 million in funds to designers and students. Accompanying Pierpaolo Piccioli at the awards ceremony were brand CEO Jacopo Venturini, Naomi Campbell, Florence Pugh, Kristen McMenamy, and Rosie Huntington-Whitleey, among others.