by London fashion label SS Daley won the Queen Elizabeth II Award for Fashion Design today.
The award was presented at the Royal Academy of Arts by Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh to the designer behind the brand, Steven Stokey-Daley. The annual award was launched in 2018 to recognise the role of the fashion industry in society and diplomacy, and to shine a spotlight on young designers who are talented and making a difference to society through sustainable practices or community involvement.
London-based Liverpool designer Stokey-Daley said: “It’s such a great honour.”
The news marks another success for SS Daley, which announced in January that Harry Styles, an early Daley supporter who wore looks from his University of Westminster graduation collection in 2020, had acquired a minority stake in the company. Other A-list fans include actors Dan Levy, Ian McKellen and Eddie Redmayne. The news also comes after SS Daley won the coveted LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers of €300,000 in 2022.
Stokey-Daley, 26, has been touted as a possible candidate for Burberry’s next creative director. “We have built a universe with SS Daley…[and] “Plus, the idea of diving into the history of another brand and shaping a completely different universe in a similar way is really exciting,” he said.
The first Queen Elizabeth II Award was presented by the late Queen to designer Richard Quinn at London Fashion Week in February 2018 after he saw her first ever runway show. Other previous winners include Bethany Williams, Rosh Mahtani, Priya Ahluwalia and Saul Nash. Last year, the Royal presented the award to Foday Dumbuya for his brand Labrum.
London Fashion Week begins today, Thursday, September 12th and runs until Tuesday, September 17th
