The Founders’ Dinner of the Business Fashion Awards
- PARLIAMENT NEWS
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Pictures Kam Muralli / DK_pixel_uk
There are many events in fashion. Some are loud; many are fleeting. The meaningful ones are quieter. They are deliberate.
On the evening of Friday, 6 March 2026, the elegant dining rooms of Mosimann’s Private Members’ Club in Belgravia welcomed a distinguished circle of cultural figures, entrepreneurs, designers, and tastemakers for The Founders’ Dinner of the Business Fashion Awards. The gathering was intimate by design—an evening created not to celebrate spectacle, but to recognise substance.
Mosimann’s has long been a place where conversations carry weight. Diplomats have dined there, cultural initiatives have quietly taken shape within its walls, and industries have found moments of reflection away from the noise of public attention. It was therefore a fitting setting for an initiative created to recognise the individuals who shape the business of fashion from behind the scenes.
The Business Fashion Awards were founded by Evgeni Minchev, the prominent European television personality, fashion commentator, and cultural patron, together with Rebeca Riofrio, British entrepreneur, media executive, and Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Society for Arts, Fashion and Sport.
Minchev is widely recognised across European society for his influence within media, public relations, and cultural diplomacy, where his long-standing appreciation for style and tradition has shaped conversations around elegance and representation. Riofrio, with more than two decades of international experience across fashion, media, and the arts, has built platforms that elevate voices within the creative industries.
She also serves as CEO of Art in Fusion TV, Editor-in-Chief of Parliament News Magazine, and Marketing Manager for Anglia Ruskin University, continuing to champion cultural dialogue through media and public engagement.
Supporting the initiative as Marketing Board Advisor is Elvijs Plugis, entrepreneur and CEO of SIGULP, known for his work at the intersection of technology, strategic innovation, and international business expansion.
Together, the founders established the Business Fashion Awards with a clear mission: to recognise excellence where it has too often gone unseen. The awards celebrate the individuals and organisations whose vision, leadership, and creativity sustain the fashion ecosystem—entrepreneurs, creators, strategists, and innovators who shape the industry far beyond the runway.
Within the warm glow of Mosimann’s chandeliers, the evening unfolded with elegance and purpose.
Karen Millen OBE
Award: Contribution to the World of Fashion – Business Fashion Awards 2026
Karen Millen’s journey into fashion began in 1981, during a period when Britain was facing recession, unemployment, and uncertainty. It was not an obvious moment to start a fashion career.
Yet from those challenging circumstances emerged one of the most recognisable names in British style.
Fresh out of Medway College of Design, Millen entered the industry with ambition and instinct. Together with Kevin Stanford, she opened her first boutique in 1983. What followed was the rise of a brand that would grow into a global presence with more than 130 standalone stores worldwide.
The Karen Millen label became synonymous with refined tailoring, contemporary elegance, and clothing designed to empower modern women. Her story, however, is not simply one of commercial success. At one stage of her career she faced the extraordinary challenge of losing the right to trade under her own name within the fashion industry. The experience reinforced the importance of protecting intellectual property and creative identity—lessons she now shares with emerging entrepreneurs.
Beyond fashion, Millen has remained committed to philanthropy, including her support for Teens Unite, an organisation dedicated to helping young people living with serious illness.
Her career stands as a reminder that resilience, when combined with vision, creates enduring legacy.
LND Production - Agency – Lara Accison
Award: Fashion Agency of the Year – Business Fashion Awards 2026
Fashion moments do not appear by accident. They are carefully built.
For more than twenty years, Lara Accison has been part of that process. Through LND Production and LALDN Communication Agency, she has created a reputation for delivering immersive brand experiences that combine strategy with creativity.
Operating as a 360-degree communications and events agency, her work integrates public relations, influencer partnerships, content creation, brand collaborations, and high-profile event production.
Accison’s projects have intersected with an impressive portfolio of international brands and institutions including Disney+, Fashion TV, The Berry Company, Rolls-Royce, London Fashion Week, MTV, Novikov Restaurant & Bar, FIJI Water, Julien Macdonald, Formula 1, The May Fair, W Hotels, Hamleys, Monaco Grand Prix, Ultimate Boxer, Stray Dogs Films, Mitchell & Ness, Aashni + Co, Bugatti, Chopard, Burberry, Atelier Zuhra, Netflix, Pixi Beauty, Chiefer, Karen Millen, Lanvin, Corinthia Hotels, Christian Dior, Cartier, Black Tap, and ITV, among many others.
Her philosophy is simple: a brand is remembered not for what it announces, but for what people experience.
Award: Fashion Award – Business Fashion Awards 2026
Few jewellery houses possess the theatrical charm of Butler & Wilson.
Founded in 1969 at the Antiquarius Market in Chelsea, the company began as a small stall selling antique jewellery. Over the decades it has evolved into one of Britain’s most recognisable costume jewellery houses.
At the centre of the brand is Simon Wilson, founder and creative visionary. From the opening of the Fulham Road boutique in 1972, Butler & Wilson developed a reputation for bold crystal jewellery that celebrated glamour, individuality, and storytelling.
The brand pioneered fashion marketing long before celebrity campaigns became commonplace, becoming the first jewellery company to feature film icons such as Catherine Deneuve and Faye Dunaway on billboard campaigns.
Signature designs—including the Dancing Couple brooch, the dramatic diamanté snake brooch, and the Crystal Fan earrings—continue to captivate new generations of admirers, including figures such as Beyoncé, Rita Ora, and Catherine, Princess of Wales.
British Vogue once described the house as “costume royalty.” The title has endured.
Award: Fashion Influencer of the Year – Business Fashion Awards 2026
In the modern fashion landscape, influence travels quickly. Few understand that dynamic better than Holly Scarfone.
With nearly one million followers on Instagram and more than 725,000 on TikTok, Scarfone has built a global audience drawn not only to fashion and beauty but to her candid perspective on personal growth and self-expression.
Her rise to international recognition began through her appearance on Netflix, yet she quickly transformed that moment of visibility into a platform built on authenticity. Through her work she speaks openly about confidence, mental health, and female empowerment, challenging the unrealistic beauty standards that often dominate social media culture.
Beyond content creation, Scarfone is also building entrepreneurial ventures centred around luxury wellness, lifestyle, and self-care, continuing to redefine what influence means in the digital age.
Award: Emerging Model of the Year – Business Fashion Awards 2026
Born in Lithuania and raised in London, Kornelijus Budry represents a new generation of international models whose careers extend across continents.
With more than six years of experience, Budry has worked across Europe, the United States, and Asia, appearing in publications including Vogue Man Singapore, Esquire Singapore, and Numéro New York, and participating in campaigns for fashion houses such as Dolce & Gabbana.
Alongside his modelling career, he has built a growing social media audience of over 200,000 followers, sharing insights into fashion, travel, and the lifestyle of an international model.
Award: Luxury Concierge of the Year – Business Fashion Awards 2026
Luxury often reveals itself in the details.
For Karlo Baker, those details have shaped an entire career.
A British entrepreneur with more than fifteen years of experience within luxury travel and hospitality, Baker is the founder of KB Concierge, a company specialising in bespoke travel experiences and exclusive client services.
Prior to launching the concierge business, Baker co-founded a fashion brand specialising in travel accessories that expanded into 65 stores across eight countries, strengthening his understanding of global luxury consumer trends.
Today his work spans curating bespoke travel experiences, organising international events, developing strategic partnerships with hospitality brands, and advising founders seeking to scale their businesses.
For Baker, luxury is not simply excess. It is precision.
Award: London Best Hair Salon – Business Fashion Awards 2026
In Mayfair, standards are high. Hiro Miyoshi has built a career meeting them.
An award-winning stylist with more than eighteen years of experience, Miyoshi is known for combining technical precision with the philosophy of Japanese craftsmanship.
His approach is guided by Omotenashi, the Japanese principle of wholehearted hospitality and meticulous attention to the client experience.
Special Recognition for Style & Hospitality – Business Fashion Awards 2026
Some institutions carry history within their walls.
Ognisko Polskie, known as The Polish Hearth, is one of London’s oldest Polish clubs. Founded in 1939, it became a cultural centre for the Polish community in exile and remains a place where heritage, art, and social life continue to thrive.
Recognition – Emerging Innovation in Beauty Products
The final recognition of the evening celebrated innovation within the beauty industry.
Olè Blanc Maison de Paris represents a modern approach to skincare rooted in science, sustainability, and simplicity, developing certified organic and vegan formulations designed to support the skin barrier while delivering effective results.
Among the distinguished guests present were Audrey Gedrimaitė, Anna Tchakarova, Dr Boryana Peevska Maguire, Professor Christopher Maguire, Tzvetan Bonchev, Filip Slipachek, Margo Waldorf, HRH Princess Katarina, Tyne O'Connell and actor Guy Siner, whose presence added further cultural character to the evening.
As the gathering drew to a close, the atmosphere remained quietly celebratory. The Business Fashion Awards had achieved precisely what they were created to do: recognise the individuals whose work shapes the fashion industry far beyond the runway.
Looking ahead, the founders confirmed that the next edition of the Business Fashion Awards will take place on 6 March 2027 in Mayfair, London. Nominations will open in July 2026, with submissions available through the official platform at www.businessfashionawards.com.
Fashion may live on the runway.But its future is built by those who create the industry around it.
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