LONDON – Patrick McDowell, founder and creative director of his namesake label, has won the 2025 Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, presented the award to McDowell during a ceremony at 180 Studios on Tuesday as part of the BFC Foundation impact announcement day.
The space was set up as a fashion studio with workers in white coats doing fittings on models, embroidering on fabric, and explaining the design to Middleton, who opted for an olive green patch pocket blazer with matching trousers by Victoria Beckham for the occasion.
McDowell, dressed in a grey Prince of Wales check suit made from deadstock fabric supplied by Burberry, is the eighth recipient of the award, which recognizes young designers who are making a difference through sustainable practices or community engagement.
Previous winners of the award are Richard Quinn, Bethany Williams, Rosh Mahtani of Alighieri, Priya Ahluwalia, Saul Nash, Foday Dumbuya of Labrum London, and Steven Stokey-Daley of S.S. Daley.
McDowell has championed sustainable fashion since he unveiled his label at London Fashion Week in 2018 after graduating from London’s Central Saint Martins.
Over the years, he has teamed with new material and biotech firms to create experimental fashion. He turns surplus and deadstock material from brands including Burberry and Swarovski, and archival outfits and fabrics from institutions such as Rambert, Britain’s oldest dance company, into modern creations.
Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Keira Knightley have all worn his designs.
The designer is also a participant in the BFC’s Low Carbon Transition Program, an initiative led by the BFC’s Institute of Positive Fashion, created to help educate London-based businesses on decarbonizing supply chains.
The designer said that having the Princess of Wales, who has recently taken on more public duties after undergoing cancer treatment last year, hand the award to him felt “incredible.”
The designer said in an interview that seeing “two incredible institutions in the U.K., the royal family and the British Fashion Council, using their platforms to support my small, circular luxury brand is an incredible accolade.”
He added: “I know [the princess] is personally very interested in British craftsmanship. It means a lot to me. It’s an award that is centered around craftsmanship and sustainable practice, which is something truly at the heart of what we do. I hope that it will help propel the business forward, will open many more doors and eyes to what we’re doing.”
McDowell works with a direct-to-consumer model, offering made-to-order pieces ranging from 800 pounds to 3,000 pounds, a price point he considers very competitive. His team is lean – just four people – and he caters to clients from around the world.
He said his clients are “looking for something unique, and the idea is to give people something for the same price as an off-the-peg design, but they get this special experience.”
The brand shows sporadically during London Fashion Week, and does not always follow the seasonal calendar.
“Regardless of the collections, the main thing is that we’re focusing on the craftsmanship and trying to make pieces that fit and suit the people wearing them, so they’re able to cherish them for much longer. We also offer services like repair and redesign on those pieces after purchase, so clients can keep loving them,” said McDowell.
McDowell said his clients tend to be people who already have an incredible wardrobe and who want something with a bit more individuality.
“All of our pieces are numbered, and made in extremely small quantities. You get your name and the number embroidered into the labels. It’s more like a dressmaker relationship with the clients. People want to meet the person making the clothes. They want all those stories attached to the pieces that they’re wearing,” he added.
McDowell has also worked in other creative fields, and always through a sustainable lens. During COVID-19, he delivered a high-drama digital runway show for Helsinki Fashion Week. In 2022, he designed a garden bar inspired by Studio 54 for the Chelsea Flower Show.
He has corporate experience, too. In 2021, he was appointed sustainability design director at Pinko, a five-year collaboration that lasted until December 2024. There, McDowell was tasked with making the brand more sustainable, together with Pinko founder and CEO Pietro Negra.
Since 2018, the BFC has selected a designer, in collaboration with the Royal Household, for the award. The trophy is inspired by the Queen Elizabeth rose and is hand-produced by Lucy Price at Bauhinia Studios in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
The award ceremony was part of the annual BFC Foundation impact announcement day, which also unveiled the recipients of several other BFC-led support schemes.
New additions to the BFC Newgen program included Aletta, Ewusie, Liza Keane, Oscar OuYang, Octi, and The Ouze.
Conner Ives was the winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, while the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion winner will be chosen from Bleue Burnham, Clothsurgen, Harri, Labrum London, and Saul Nash.
Recipients of the BFC Fashion Trust included Clio Peppiatt, Edeline Lee, Harri, Nicholas Daley, and Tove.
The BFC Foundation, the charity arm of BFC, has handed out 1.2 million pounds in funds to designers and scholars in the financial year 2024/25. In addition, more than 270,000 pounds was distributed to designers via commercial collaborations secured by the BFC.
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