Naomi Campbell will be honoured with the prestigious Fashion Icon award at The Fashion Awards 2019 later this year, the British Fashion Council has confirmed.

The supermodel will be recognised for her incredible contribution to the fashion industry and her impressive career, as well as her philanthropic work. The news was announced this evening during a glamorous cocktail reception at The Ritz in London.

“We cannot think of a more deserving recipient than iconic Londoner Naomi Campbell, she has achieved exceptional work in the industry,” said BFC chief executive Caroline Rush. “Naomi represents female empowerment, activism and glamour and her voice is used for great impact. We are thrilled to present the Fashion Icon award to Naomi and acknowledge her for her remarkable contribution to the global fashion industry, and we look forward to celebrating with her in London in December.”

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The Fashion Icon award is one of the Special Recognition awards that celebrate outstanding contributions to the fashion industry. Previous recipients include Donatella Versace, who was presented with the accolade in 2017.

Born in London, Campbell’s career started at an early age, when she was scouted by an agent after school in Covent Garden. With more than 30 years of experience under her belt, the supermodel has graced over 500 magazine covers during her career and has starred in campaigns for the world’s biggest brands – from Burberry and Chanel to Prada, Louis Vuitton and Versace.

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She’s become almost as well known for her charitable work as she is for her fashion credentials, having started working with Nelson Mandela in 1993. In 1997, he named her “honorary granddaughter” for her endless activism. In 2013 she launched the Diversity Coalition campaign, with the aim of addressing racism in the fashion industry, and headlined the Forbes Woman Africa’s Leading Women Summit earlier this year, promoting her passion for female empowerment in Africa.

Perhaps most famously, in 2005 she launched Fashion for Relief, a charity merging fashion and philanthropy. Every year, a charity catwalk and event fundraises for a new global cause – whether that be for victims of the Haiti earthquake, or to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina – supported by the biggest names in the fashion industry. This year, Fashion for Relief will return to its roots in London, where it first started, with a catwalk during London Fashion Week in September.

The Fashion Awards 2019 will take place on 2 December at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

This article originally appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR UK.

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• TAGS:
• Activism
• British Fashion Council
• Fashion Awards 2019
• Fashion For Relief
• Fashion Icon award
• Iconic models
• Models
• Naomi Campbell
• Supermodels