This award is open to any fashion agency or distributor that supplies brands to independent retailers in the UK and/or Ireland. You must be able to show clear evidence that your strategy includes a focus on independents.

Judges will be looking for a business that can demonstrate a strong and relevant portfolio of brands, excellent financial results, a strong partnership with brands and stockists, good control of the supply chain and a proven track record of sourcing brands with a great sell-through and good margins.

This award recognises an independent multi-brand fashion retailer that provides consistently exceptional customer experience. It is open to retailers operating in all parts of the fashion market, including womenswear, menswear, kidswear, lingerie and occasionwear.

Judges will be looking for initiatives that have proved truly transformative and demonstrably improved standards of service, with examples of how retailers go above and beyond for their customers.

This entry must focus specifically on what has been done over the past 12 months, as well as demonstrating a generally high level of customer experience.

This award is open to independent multi-brand retailers with at least one bricks-and-mortar store, and a transactional website.

Judges will be looking for proven financial success across both channels; great use of design, online content and social media; a strong multichannel buying strategy; excellent usability and web traffic, signs of resilience and agility during the pandemic, great customer service; a strong brand mix; efficient handling of stock and logistics; and expertise in integrating all aspects of the multichannel operation.

If your wholesale brand has been trading for between one and three years, and is stocked by independent retailers in the UK and/or Ireland, this is the category for you. It is open to brands operating in all parts of the fashion market, including womenswear, menswear, kidswear, lingerie and occasionwear.

You will be judged on a range of factors, including design, response to the pandemic, margin offered, stock service (if applicable), after-sales service, overall customer service, future growth plans and commercial direction.

Judges want to see a clear business plan, great value and great quality product range and fantastic customer service.

If your multi-brand independent retailer has been trading for between one and three years, this is the category for you. It is open to retailers operating in all parts of the fashion market, including womenswear, menswear, kidswear, lingerie and occasionwear.

The judges will be looking for a strong business plan, a unique and compelling selling proposition, and signs of resilience and agility during the pandemic. The look of the shop, your brand mix, commitment to customer service, marketing initiatives and communication to customers will all be considered.

This award is open to independent multi-brand retailers that operate solely through a transactional website.

Judges will be looking for proven financial success; great use of design, online content and social media; a strong buying strategy; excellent usability and web traffic, signs of resilience and agility during the pandemic; great customer service; a strong brand mix; and efficient handling of stock and logistics.

This award recognises an independent multi-brand retailer with outstanding store design and visual merchandising. It is open to retailers operating in all parts of the fashion market, including womenswear, menswear, kidswear, lingerie and occasionwear.

The winning entry will demonstrate flair, creativity and an excellent use of display units to create a stunning interior design and provide presentation of product appropriate to the store’s style and clientele. It will also demonstrate inventive visual merchandising.

Use of technology and external window displays will be considered, as well as the overall cost of the fit-out and the value it represents.

Please note that only one store can be entered for each business.

This category is open to all independent fashion retailers operating in the UK and Ireland. Judges will be looking for a business that can demonstrate a strong understanding and creative approach to social media that spans multiple platforms. They will also be looking for retailers that have improved their social media strategies and introduced new initiatives as a result of the pandemic.

Whether through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok or any other social channel, the business should demonstrate how social channels have been harnessed to drive sales and build brand awareness over the past 12 months.

Independent retailers are the beating heart of local high streets. Forced to shop closer to home because of the pandemic and social restrictions, consumers are relearning the value of supporting small, local businesses. This award will recognise efforts to give back to local communities, such as charity fundraising, launching new services for the community, and going the extra mile for local customers.

This award is open to anyone that is a champion of their community – an individual, member of staff, team or business, as long as they work in the independent fashion retail sector.

This award is open to any kidswear brand stocked by independent retailers in the UK and/or Ireland.

You will be judged on a range of factors, including design, response to the pandemic, margin offered, stock service (if applicable), after-sales service, most improved line and most commercial direction.

Judges want to see a clear business plan, excellent value and great-quality product range and fantastic customer service.

Please note that entries submitted without supporting financial information may be excluded from the awards – all information supplied is confidential.

This award is open to independent multi-brand kidswear retailers in the UK and Ireland with a brick and mortar presence (no pureplays).

Judges will be looking for a strong edit of key childrenswear brands appropriate to the target customer, high standards of service, an in-store environment (and online offer, if applicable) that complements the brands on offer, signs of resilience and agility during the pandemic, a strong business plan and buying strategy that ensures the business remains at the top of its game, and evidence of financial success.

The business can either sell only kidswear or a mix of kidswear and other categories, but should be able to demonstrate that childrenswear makes up considerably more than half of sales.

This award is open to any wholesale menswear brand stocked by independent retailers in the UK and/or Ireland.

You will be judged on a range of factors, including design, response to the pandemic, margin offered, stock service (if applicable), after-sales service, overall customer service, future growth plans and commercial direction.

Judges want to see a clear business plan, excellent value and great-quality product range and fantastic customer service.

This award is open to independent multi-brand menswear retailers in the UK and Ireland with a brick and mortar presence (no pureplays).  

Judges will be looking for a strong edit of key menswear brands appropriate to the target customer, high standards of service, signs of resilience and agility during the pandemic, an in-store environment (and online offer, if applicable) that complements the brands on offer, a strong business plan and buying strategy that ensures the business remains at the top of its game, and evidence of financial success.

The business can either sell only menswear or a mix of menswear and other categories, but should be able to demonstrate that menswear makes up considerably more than half of sales.

This award is open to multi-brand independent retailers, and the brands that service them. Judges will be looking for evidence that sustainability is at the heart of the brand, or makes up an important part of the brand mix. This could include – but is not limited to – increasing the proportion of sustainable/recycled materials used in ranges; embracing circularity through recycling/rental/resale schemes; enhancing transparency and traceability in the supply chain; and promoting social justice and equality.

Judges will consider progress against internal sustainability goals over the past 12 months. Please ensure your entry contains specific examples.

This award is open to any wholesale womenswear brand stocked by independent retailers in the UK and/or Ireland.

You will be judged on a range of factors, including design, response to the pandemic, margin offered, stock service (if applicable), after-sales service, overall customer service, future growth plans and commercial direction.

Judges want to see a clear business plan, excellent value and great-quality product range and fantastic customer service.

This award is open to independent multi-brand womenswear retailers in the UK and Ireland with a brick and mortar presence (no pureplays).  

Judges will be looking for a strong edit of key womenswear brands appropriate to the target customer, high standards of service, signs of resilience and agility during the pandemic, an in-store environment (and online offer, if applicable) that complements the brands on offer, a strong business plan and buying strategy that ensures the business remains at the top of its game, and evidence of financial success.

The business can either sell only womenswear or a mix of womenswear and other categories, but should be able to demonstrate that womenswear makes up considerably more than half of sales.

This special award will be chosen by Drapers. Nominations for potential recipients should be emailed to laura.dalton@emap.com

With this award, Drapers celebrates the talent and hard work of the industry’s stars. This award is open to anyone working within the industry – from owners and buyers to store staff, sales agents and brand representatives.

This person must have made a demonstrable impact on their business in the past 12 months.

• Has this person gone above and beyond to support their business? What impact have they had?
• Have they made a significant impact on their business, the industry and/or local community?

How to nominate:

If you would like to nominate someone you consider to be an independent star, please email laura.dalton@emap.com and include details of the person, their employer or business, and why you think they are eligible for this award.