Devonshire Road boutique wins prestigious Drapers Award

Devonshire Road boutique Wild Swans picked up the prize for Womenswear Retailer of The Year at last week’s Drapers Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

The Drapers Awards are the most prestigious awards for the fashion industry, and bring together more than 1,000 industry leaders to celebrate and recognise the achievements of 20 of the most innovative and passionate fashion retailers and brands in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The Awards proved to be a fantastic night with comedian Jason Manford hosting the evening and presenting the awards.

Jessica Brown, editor of Drapers magazine commented, "It has been a challenging 12 months for the fashion industry, but there have been many outstanding achievements by the retailers and brands at the heart of this, our special sector this year. I am delighted to report that the Drapers Awards received a record number of entries this year, proving that it is possible to do more than withstand adverse conditions. Congratulations to all of you that made it through to the final stages, which is an achievement in itself."

Big winners on the night included retailers H&M, Humbug, Topshop New York and Van Mildert, who swept the board by winning three awards.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Tom Singh, founder of New Look. Celebrating 40 hugely successful years in the industry, Tom was a pioneer of the fast-fashion model in the 1970s, developing the concept of delivering on-trend products, sourced from international factories at great value prices. He has continued to be passionate about these products throughout his career.

The Drapers Awards are recognised as a huge accolade by the fashion business with categories that champion the best of the high street and the leading independent fashion retailers across the country.

December 22, 2009