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The King’s Birthday Honours list, published this weekend, recognised a wide group of fashion and beauty leaders whose brands span luxury footwear, accessories, premium womenswear and global cosmetics.
Charlotte Tilbury, founder, president and chief creative officer of her eponymous beauty brand, received the highest-ranking honour among the group, a CBE for services to the beauty and cosmetics industry. The award comes eight years after Tilbury was made an MBE. Tilbury launched her brand in 2013, after more than 20 years in the industry as one of its most celebrated make-up artists. A controlling stake in the business was acquired by Spanish premium fashion and beauty group Puig in 2020 in a deal that valued the brand at a reported $1 billion.
Charlotte Tilbury
Kurt Geiger CEO Neil Clifford, Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi and ME+EM founder and CEO Clare Hornby were each appointed OBE for services to fashion, as was Sophie Ross, founder of childrenswear retailer Trotters.
Neil Clifford, OBE
Neil Clifford (main image) has led Kurt Geiger for more than two decades after rising through retail from the shop floor. He started his career with few formal qualifications, working his way up from store management to the CEO role at the British footwear and accessories brand, which now operates in 28 countries with 57 standalone retail locations. He has guided the business through several changes of ownership (it is now owned by US group Steve Madden), the challenging Covid era and has overseen an impressive international expansion programme.
Sandra Choi
Sandra Choi, OBE
Sandra Choi joined luxury British footwear brand Jimmy Choo in 1996 as one of its founding creative voices and has shaped design direction for three decades. Jimmy Choo, which is part of the Capri Holdings luxury group, operates more than 200 boutiques worldwide.
“Receiving an OBE is something I never imagined when I began my career,” Choi said. “It feels like recognition for my own work and for everyone who has contributed their creativity and passion to Jimmy Choo over three decades.”
Hannah Colman, Jimmy Choo CEO, added: “Sandra is the creative heart of Jimmy Choo. Her vision, her craftsmanship and her commitment to design have shaped our brand and made a lasting contribution to British fashion.”
Clare Hornby, OBE
Hornby co-founded what became ME+EM in 2009, evolving an earlier venture into a ready-to-wear brand that has grown into a £120 million-turnover business. The company now has nine stores in London, four in the US and locations in Edinburgh and Manchester, alongside concessions in Selfridges and Harrods. Hornby became an ambassador for the King’s Trust Women Supporting Women initiative in 2020.
“I am incredibly humbled and grateful to be honoured. I feel very fortunate to be able to represent British fashion to a global audience,” Hornby said.
Wider fashion recognition
The 2026 list also included OBEs for Sophie Ross, founder and creative director of Trotters Childrenswear, and MBEs for designer Faye Toogood and clothsurgeon co-founders Parvinder Kaur Matharu and Ravinder Singh Matharu, recognised for services to men’s fashion and tailoring. David Emanuel, who co-designed Princess Diana’s wedding dress more than four decades ago, was also honoured with an MBE.