LITTLE SIMZ TO BE HONOURED WITH THE CULTURAL INNOVATOR AWARD AT THE FASHION AWARDS 2025
words by PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL
The British Fashion Council has announced the recipient of its 2025 Cultural Innovator award, and the deserving winner is none other than the hip-hop visionary Little Simz. Set to be presented on Monday 1st December at The Fashion Awards 2025 presented by Pandora, the Cultural Innovator award celebrates a leading innovator and imagemaker in the entertainment industry, who over the course of the year has had a profound impact on the fashion industry and wider culture. It's safe to say that Little Simz fits this brief; the multi-award-winning artist’s effect on the British music landscape is undeniable, and she has a host of accolades to prove it, boasting BRIT, Mercury Prize, MOBO, and Ivor Novello awards in her trophy cabinet.
image courtesy of PURPLE
Hailing from London’s North, Little Simz’s discovered her love of music through after school youth clubs and began her career circulating mixtapes at her high school. She gained early recognition within Britain’s music scene after winning Breakthrough Artist of the Year at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards and her debut album, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), won Independent Album of the Year at the AIM Awards.
Her latest studio album Lotus was released to critical acclaim, debuting in the UK Top 3 earlier this year and cementing her status as a world-leading artist and cultural voice. She recently wrapped up the accompanying tour for Lotus, and earlier this year became the youngest curator of the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival, following the likes of David Bowie, Grace Jones and Nile Rodgers. Onscreen she made her acting debut in Netflix’s Top Boy, followed by her starring role in the film STEVE, alongside Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. She’s also a bona fide cover star, gracing the covers of British Vogue, ELLE UK, Dazed and The Face.
Speaking on Little Simz’s selection, Laura Weir, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council says,
“Little Simz is a generational voice whose work expands culture itself. She is fearless in her creativity, uncompromising in her honesty and endlessly inventive in the way she brings music, fashion and storytelling together. She reshapes the landscape rather than simply moving within it, setting new standards for what British artistry can be.”
She’s definitely setting the new standard, and this is only just the beginning. One thing’s for sure; we’ll be eagerly awaiting her next move.
