Walpole holds the British Luxury Awards in the ballroom at The Dorchester on Monday 9 November 2026, from a quarter past six until midnight. Invitation only.
Walpole gave these awards for the first time in 2001, and they have become the British luxury sector’s own annual verdict on itself. There is no public vote and no press panel: the judges are drawn from the membership and from adjacent industries, so a house is assessed by people who understand what it costs to make the thing properly rather than by people who have only bought one. Walpole represents 270 British brands and speaks for a sector valued at £48 billion to the economy in 2019.
The categories are the interesting part. They reach across manufacturing, hospitality, retail, the arts and design rather than staying inside fashion, which is why the 2025 winners included Aston Martin, Beaverbrook, Hamilton and Inches, the Royal Ballet and Opera, and David Collins Studio, with Raymond Blanc taking the Visionary award. Very little else in Britain puts a car maker and an opera house on the same shortlist.
The 2026 awards are in the ballroom at The Dorchester on Monday 9 November, from 6.15 until midnight. The evening is invitation only, and nominations open to British luxury brands across six categories beforehand. The shortlists are published before the room sits down, so most of the guests arrive already knowing they are on one. Walpole has now run the ceremony for twenty-five years without a break.