London Fashion Week: Princess Anne presents royal award to British designer

Rosh Mahtani from jeweller Alighieri won the Queen Elizabeth II award for design

Princess Anne presents the Queen Elizabeth II award to Rosh Mahtani. Royal Family / Twitter

Britain’s Princess Anne closed London Fashion Week on Tuesday, presenting a royal award to British jeweller Rosh Mahtani.

Mahtani, from Hatton Garden jewellers Alighieri, became the first jewellery designer to take home the Queen Elizabeth II Award.

The jewellery brand, named after poet Dante Alighieri, is known for its antique style.

London-born Mahtani was praised for her commitment to using sustainable materials and promoting local craftsmanship.

“Mahtani has managed to translate her passion for jewellery and storytelling into a highly successful business while using responsibly sourced materials,” said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council.

“Her ethical approach and commitment to local manufacturing, combined with her ability to make beautiful, timeless, made-by-hand jewellery makes her an inspiration for many young British designers.

"We are incredibly proud to recognise Mahtani and look forward to seeing her business grow.”

Mahtani is the third designer to be presented the award at the week, which is organised by the fashion council.

Last year, fashion designer Bethany Williams received the award from Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

Fellow clothing designer Richard Quinn was the first recipient of the award in 2018, which was presented to him by the Queen, who was attending the event for the first time.

Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, made her own debut at the five-day festival this year.

“I’m delighted that fine jewellery has made it to this award winner and particularly this individual, who has found her own way of getting her creations right to the forefront of the market,” she said.

The Princess Royal, who is president of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, called London the “hotbed of jewellery manufacture for hundreds of years”.

This year’s fashion week was marred by the coronavirus, which resulted in Chinese buyers and media being unable to attend because of travel restrictions. China is the biggest consumer of luxury fashion goods in the world.

Victoria Beckham said her clothing business had been affected, describing the epidemic as “horrific”.

While A Sai Ta’s was forced to cancel his label Asai’s show because the plant in Shanghai where manufacturing for his collection was taking place was shut down by the Chinese government.