Sophia Webster Wins British Fashion Fund 2016

As if you needed confirmation that Sophia Webster's shoes rule the roost, London's choicest heel-creator just bagged the biggest UK fashion award last night: the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. But what does it all mean? In short the shoe genius beat Prism, Mother of Pearl, Osman and Emilia Wickstead to take home a £200,000 grant. Sophia will also have access to mentoring from some of the leading industry insiders, buyers and editors who will help leverage her brand to the next level- and, she's in good company- previous winners of the prize include Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane and Peter Pilotto. Vogue Editor, Alexander Shulman, who is also a panel-member added, “Sophia Webster is a great winner for this year's award. The brand encapsulates all the originality and creativity that British fashion is known for while Sophia and her team have pursued a clear vision with drive and professionalism.” The funding will no doubt come in handy with Sophia's plans to open a boutique on Mayfair’s fashion-mecca, Mount Street, and might be useful in light of her launching her first full handbag line earlier this month. Sophia told Vogue: "I'm so shocked; I still can't quite take it in. This will just make such a massive difference to our business. The store is next on the agenda, we only just got the keys last week, so that's our next focus. After that, our team is growing and we've really outgrown our space so next will be a new office. It's incredible." Follow Sophia on Instagram @sophiawebster