Queen Elizabeth II has made an impromptu visit to London Fashion Week this afternoon.
Rumours swirled that Her Majesty would be present at 180 The Strand, the official home of this week's fashion festivities, and our editors confirmed her arrival shortly before the Richard Quinn show kicked off. She began her visit by exploring the BFC's designer showrooms space, flanked by the British Fashion Council's chief executive, Caroline Rush, and Dylan Jones, the editor of GQ and London Fashion Week Men's chairman, before heading to Richard Quinn's autumn/winter 2018 show. Backstage, she met a clutch of London's most talented young designers, including Michael Halpern, Marta Jakubowski and Liam Hodges.
Read more: Richard Quinn Autumn/Winter 2018 Ready To Wear
Then it was on with the show. A plush blue cushion was placed on one of the Philippe Starck ghost chairs that comprised the front row, on top of which sat a printed A4 sheet of "thank yous" from Quinn to his family, friends and mentors. Showgoers were upstanding as Her Majesty took her seat next to Rush and Anna Wintour. Throughout the show she smiled and made comments to both her front row companions, exclaiming perhaps at the likely muse for Quinn's scarf-printed creations, and the models who sported scarves tied under their chins. In particular, the printed florals that came accessorised with motorcycle helmets appeared to amuse her.
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The royal family confirmed via Twitter that the Queen's intention was to visit London Fashion Week "to present the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design." The award will be "initiated in recognition of the role the fashion industry plays in society and diplomacy, [and] be awarded annually to an emerging British fashion designer who shows talent and originality, whilst demonstrating value to the community and/or sustainable policies".
The finale over, a small podium was erected and Rush took to the stage to welcome Her Majesty. Handing the statuette to Quinn, she said: "It is a great pleasure to be here at London Fashion Week today. From the tweed of the Hebrides, Nottingham lace, and of course Carnaby Street, our fashion industry has been renowned for outstanding craftsmanship for many years, and continues to produce world-class textiles and cutting-edge practical designs. As a tribute to the industry, and my legacy to all those who have contributed to British fashion, I would like to present this award for new, young talent. I would like to thank the British Fashion Council for selecting the first winner: Richard Quinn.
Sarah Mower, the British Fashion Council ambassador for emerging talent and chair of the NEWGEN committee, who worked alongside Rush and Angela Kelly, the Queen's PA and dressmaker, on the development of the initiative, added: "We wanted it to be a surprise. It's so special for [Richard], he's built this amazing business, he's a working class boy - his parents, who are here, are scaffolders. I love the prints and it all just felt so perfect with the scarves. I was a tiny bit worried he might do the gimp masks but luckily that didn't happen."
