A COMMON THREAD
Continuing the tradition of partnering with a celebrated designer or architect, The British Fashion Council and Swarovski have commissioned British architectural designer John Pawson to create the crystal trophy for The Fashion Awards 2017.
This marks the second year that the British Fashion Council and Swarovski have collaborated with a world-renowned designer to create The Fashion Awards trophy. Whilst respecting the characteristics of those designs from preceding years, Pawson’s design combines the worlds of fashion and architecture in a unique and engaging way by questioning proportion, light, junction, material, space and atmosphere.
Filament features a minimalist clear crystal cylinder encasing a lacquer ‘thread’, each cast in a different color to signify the diversity of the 2017 award categories and winners. The cylinder shape employs a slanted lens top which magnifies the ‘thread’ when viewed from above while facets of graduating widths provide a new perspective from all four sides. Individually, each trophy is a distinct design piece, but when viewed as a collective, it celebrates the diversity of the global fashion industry.
John Pawson commented: “The trophy is a symbolic memento of the night so I wanted to create something special that would be both a beautiful object in its own right and a fitting tribute to the achievements of this year’s winners. The inherent qualities of Swarovski crystal enhance the simplicity of the cylindrical form and colored thread, producing a celebratory play of light and color.”
As a fixture in the architecture industry for over thirty years, Pawson has mastered rigorously simple structural design that speaks of the fundamentals but is also humble in character. His body of work spans a broad range of scales and typologies, including private houses, sacred commissions, galleries, museums, hotels, ballet sets, yacht interiors and more.
Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, stated: “John Pawson is an inspirational architectural designer, and we are delighted that he has brought his singular vision to the trophy for The Fashion Awards 2017. His elegant concept is both a stunning celebration of Swarovski crystal and an inspired tribute to the diverse talent who will be recognized at this year’s awards.”
Pawson’s designs become a vehicle for broad ideas about how we live and what we value, which initially encouraged Swarovski’s involvement with the architect in 2011. As part of the London Design Festival that year, Pawson collaborated on an installation for the Geometric Staircase of St. Paul's Cathedral entitled Perspectives, which featured the largest Swarovski concave meniscus lens ever commissioned from the company’s optical division.
The 2017 Fashion Awards at Royal Albert Hall will see fashion industry’s finest bring home the coveted prize on December 4th.
