The Golden Thread Awards: 'Our historic York guild is looking to a new generation of fashion and fabric makers'

The inaugural Golden Thread Awards will take place in November and will offer a platform to designers and other creatives at the beginning of their career.

The Afternoon Runway Showcase will take place at the historic Merchant Taylors' Hall, and will feature designs from 12 shortlisted finalist designers.

In the evening there will be a black-tie charity dinner called The Thread of Hope at The Milner York hotel, where five inaugural awards will be presented in the categories of: Designer of the Year (for UK professional designers with at least three years post-graduation); The Textile Innovation Award, open to any UK designer or maker focused closely on materiality; The Emerging Designer Award, open to current UK fashion students or those within three years of graduation; Look of the Night, chosen from the afternoon runway; and Model of the Night.

It follows The Merchant Taylors Fashion Runway in March last year, spotlighting emerging designers and textile creators, and international talent. It was organised by Yani Lin, with up-and-coming hair stylists and make-up artists collaborating.

This November has two award events and the aim is to demonstrate that it could be scaled up to become a Yorkshire-based but nationally available opportunity for young people to showcase their talents and widen their contacts and experience.

“It's a new focus linking York Merchant Taylors’ two key charitable purposes of educating young people, particularly in craft skills, and YMT's historic role as owner of a Guild Hall,” says Joe Leigh, founding chairman of the Golden Thread Awards.

The other founders are: Sally Hobbs CBE, founding patron and Master of the Company of Merchant Taylors, 2026–27; Will Zhuang, founding director; Yani Lin, founding creative director, leading delivery through the Atelier production team; Gary McQueen, honorary founder and chair of the Jury; and David Miller, founding director of Partnerships.

The awards were originally conceived by Roy Wallington, who sadly died earlier this year.

Joe Leigh says they honour the guild's trade history, seeking to develop YMT's relationships within the industries descended from its historic trades.

“YMT has 600-year-old roots,” he says. “The Merchant Taylors' Hall dates from 1415, the year of Agincourt, with an even longer documented history as the York Merchant Taylors Guild. We'd like our modern membership to include senior managers in Yorkshire's cloth-based industries, or from further afield, as we look to our next 100 years' continuation as a cloth guild.”

The earliest references to guild organisation in York date from 1387. In medieval times, the tailors were associated with the fraternity of St John the Baptist, which built the present Hall. The tailors played a major role in the social and economic life of the city, including its Corpus Christi mystery plays.

The earliest surviving apprentice register from 1605 recorded that 165 boys were apprenticed in four years, with a fifth born in the city, the remainder from nearby Yorkshire villages - a pattern of recruitment for the next two centuries.

Until the 1830s the Merchant Taylors’ Company was a working body of master tailors, with a few women among its members. By leasing the hall for educational, theatrical or social events, they preserved their buildings.

From the late 1930s onwards, the Great and Little Halls were gradually restored to their former splendour and are now maintained by the members of the Company, a memorial to six centuries of guild history.

“I am what is known as a searcher, part of the governing structure with the intention of becoming the Master of the Guild in 2029,” Joe says.

“The origin was that you went hunting around the city of York for people who were not entitled to trade in York because they were not time-served apprentices of the Guild of Merchant Tailors.

“Our guild is relatively unusual in still having continuous ownership of the same hall for 600-odd years.”

There are about 100 members, some retired, some honorary. “But a significant proportion are some people who give huge amounts of time, they give cash, they give commitment and they bring skills and talents with them,” Joe says.

“We're trying to become more outward-looking, move away from the idea of the dining club

“The Golden Thread Awards are specific and geared to a particular kind of person. They're not geared to those who are running large fashion companies. They're designed to help young people who are already just getting established.”

The awards are free to enter and will be judged by an independent jury chaired by Gary McQueen, formerly head textile designer at Alexander McQueen, along with Liz Mawbey of Selfridges and Cherie Federico, founder of Aesthetica.

“What matters here is the work — the material, the making, the idea. I am looking forward to seeing what this new generation brings to the table,” says Gary McQueen.

Sally Hobbs says: “To name and support the makers at the very start of their careers is one of the most meaningful things this Company can do. That is what The Thread of Hope is for.”

Joe Leigh adds: “The Company has championed cloth and craft in the City of York for six hundred years. With the Golden Thread Awards, we open that heritage to a new generation — and we could not be prouder to do so.”

Designers may apply with a portfolio, a statement of intent and a CV. The call for entries closes on September 30, 2026. For this and for details of the black tie dinner, see goldenthreadawards.com. Instagram @goldenthreadawards