SCOTTISH FASHION AWARDS

Glasgow born Brian Duffy started life as a Scottish Chartered Accountant and spent most of his life working in London, France, Switzerland and the US. As Group President of Polo Ralph Lauren Europe and the Middle East since 2003, sales have doubled during his tenure. The brand has expanded into European territories such as Russia and other Eastern European countries.

Previously, Brian was the Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Vice President of London-based Sara Lee Courtaulds, a division of Sara Lee Corporation, where he was responsible for approximately $1 billion in annual sales.

In 2009 Brian became a member of GlobalScot, an international business network of over 850 senior influential business leaders who are committed to generating opportunities for Scotland.

Brian is married and has four children. He speaks English (with a strong Scottish accent!) and French. We are delighted to welcome such an influential global fashion figure to the 2010 judging panel.

Dolly Jones first stepped into the world of fashion, post-History of Art at Manchester University, in 1998 for three weeks work experience that turned into six months as editorial assistant at Vogue magazine. Next up was the London College of Printing periodical journalism course, which commissioned her to interview "someone at the top of their game" - Alexandra Shulman kindly obliged - and then the "Writer" job at VOGUE.COM came up in January 2000. Eight years later - after breaking news every day, working with the CondéNet UK team to develop and expand the site to its fullest potential including cover archives and VogueTV, and being named editor in 2005 - she is now responsible for an awarding-winning website that boasts 1.2 million unique users per month and is the most fashion-forward and regularly updated fashion destination online.

DOLLY JONES - VOGUE.COM EDITOR SAID:

"It is great to see Scottish talent receiving its rightful recognition. Some of British fashion's brightest talents hail from Scotland and the success of this ongoing event is a deserved celebration of that."

"It has been a pleasure to be involved with a well organised and suitably glamorous celebration of some of the designers, models and industry figures whose careers we have watched and supported since the beginning. It is a nice opportunity for us to associate ourselves with their big night and to acknowledge their hard work and success."

"This year looks like the most exciting yet - the 5th anniversary and the incredible new venue make it an iconic celebration that we are pleased to be part of."

Nathalie Colin is the Creative Director of the Consumer Good Business division of the Swarovski Group, the world's leading producer of cut crystal.

For the past three years, she has infused the Jewellery, Accessories and Crystal Living collections with her creativity, both for the Swarovski and the Daniel Swarovski couture lines.

Born in 1966, Nathalie Colin studied both Marketing at the French Business school "Ecole Supérieure de Commerce" (ICN) in France and Fashion in the United States , at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Nathalie's first experience in the fashion scene was quite remarkable, working for Perry Ellis, alongside the inspired designer Marc Jacobs.

From 1989 to 1999, her strong skills in fashion and marketing opened the doors to the Promostyl agency, where she was in charge of developing the design bureau's consultancy activity in France and abroad. She extended the company's activity with an eclectic range of areas from ready-to-wear fashion to accessories, costume jewellery, lingerie, sport, trade shows, cosmetics and luxury jewellery. In 1994, she started her collaboration with Swarovski on a consulting basis on projects related to trends and early product concept development.

During these ten years, Nathalie Colin kept fine-tuning and sharpening her perception and vision, increasing her knowledge of markets and brands and of their needs and expectations. "Brands need to keep re-inventing themselves, as the world around us is constantly changing", says Nathalie Colin.

In 2000 she founded Cultural Sushi, a brand and design strategy consultancy agency, the name referring to her lifelong passion and fascination for Asia .

She left her agency in 2006 to join Swarovski as the Creative Director, convinced by the extraordinary creative potential of crystal. "Cut crystal is a material that seemingly changes all the time. It's a living material, impregnated by its environment that creates an infinite number of poetic reflections and reveals indefinite mysterious facets. 'The Poetry of Precision', the Swarovski design language reflects the endless possibilities and styles, from romantic to the most avant-garde."

"My role as a creative director is to make the brand appealing and unique, finding the fine balance between the rich heritage and the freshness of new ideas. This in turn is reflected in the style and consistency of the collections as well as in the image of communication. I believe that just because a brand is strong, it doesn't mean that it can be grafted on to all kinds of products in a whole variety of domains. It is essential to remain true to the brand values and legitimate territory, but to push the boundaries of creation every season."

As Swarovski is considered a "Modern Lux" brand, (exclusive while remaining accessible) - a unique position at the heart of the luxury scene - Nathalie's Colin objective is to combine emotion and accessibility, easy wearing and uniqueness within the Jewellery, Accessories as well as Crystal Living lines.

Nathalie Colin's inspires the company's creative team to reach new heights:
In 2007, Elvis and Erika, two playful characters have become favourite motifs.
In 2008, the Swan logo was interpreted to shape an iconic signature pattern: the Swanflower™, which now is already part of the Swarovski heritage and DNA.
A brand new boutique design was created in close collaboration with the famous Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, resulting in the stunning "crystal forest" concept. Last but not least, 2009 saw the launch of the new watch collection at the Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show.
It is Nathalie Colin's unique expertise that season after season respects the pioneering and innovating spirit of Swarovski family - and fuses heritage with modernity.

Lucy Yeomans became Editor of Harpers & Queen in November 2000, overseeing its transformation to Harper's Bazaar in March 2005. During this time, Harper's Bazaar won the PPA Magazine of the Year award (2007) and the BSME Editors Editor of the Year Award.

Lucy is currently Chairman of the British Fashion Council's Press Committee and serves on the committees of the Hoping Foundation and the Royal Academy. She is also a trustee of Film Aid and The Naked Heart Foundation.

Paula Reed is style director of the international award winning UK weekly fashion magazine, Grazia. Launched in 2004 it is selling over 1,000,000 copies a month and is widely acclaimed as one of the style industry's hottest fashion titles.

Paula' TV work includes two series as a judge on Project Catwalk and two series as a fashion expert on10 Years Younger for Channel 4.

Born and educated in Ireland, Paula Reed moved to London in the 1980's in the middle of London's renaissance as a booming international fashion capital. On PR guru Lynne Franks team, she worked with superstar designers Katharine Hamnett and Body Map and later with Jasper Conran and Rifat Ozbek.

In the 1990's Paula became a fashion editor, starting as deputy on the iconic Independent fashion pages and ending up with a six year stint as fashion director on The Sunday Times. There followed, positions as fashion director on UK Harpers Bazaar, Conde Nast Traveller and In Style. During this time, her freelance writing appeared in publications as varied as The Financial Times, British Vogue, Elle Decoration and Town and Country in the US.

In 2003, she became a columnist for You Magazine and US In Style, while relocating with her family to New York. There she received an advance for her first fashion book, Style Clinic, from Harper Collins, which was published in 2009.

Paula has served as an external assessor on the St Martins MA course in fashion journalism since 2007. And in 2010 she was also on the panel for the Brit Insurance Designs Of The Year for the Design Museum.

Amanda Wakeley launched her signature label in 1990 and over the last two decades has developed an international reputation for designing stylish, supremely luxurious, womenswear and accessories. She is the winner of several awards including three British Fashion Awards for Glamour.

The Amanda Wakeley offering currently includes:

Amanda Wakeley Ready To Wear - tailoring, eveningwear, knitwear, accessories
Amanda Wakeley Sposa - bridal
Amanda Wakeley Jewel - fine jewellery

Amanda intuitively started designing clothes based on a personal passion to create utterly beautiful clothes that women love to wear. Her look is calculatedly understated but alluring.

The Amanda Wakeley woman is ageless - she has an attitude to dressing rather than being a specific age. She wears the clothes because they are sexy yet not overt.... they are body enhancing yet comfortable.... they are relevant yet appropriate to her lifestyle.... she has an enviable ease.

Day dressing is luxe sportif, evening is contemporary glamour, always with a luxurious use of fabrics, perfection of cut and attention to craftsmanship.

Over the years, Amanda Wakeley has dressed stars such as; Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Kate Beckinsdale, Dita Von Teese, Florence Welch, Zoe Saldana, Charlize Theron, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet. Amanda Wakeley has also had the honour to dress many members of Royal families, most notably the late Princess of Wales and Queen Rania of Jordan.

The Amanda Wakeley collection is retailed from the newly opened flagship store at 175 -177 Fulham Road London SW3, at Harrods London and at Harvey Nichols stores throughout the UK. The brand is also represented throughout Europe, America and the Middle East and an active ecommerce facility is available at the recently re-launched website www.amandawakeley.com.

Since 1996 Amanda has co-chaired the committee for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Appeal and has helped to raise over £10m to date. Amanda continues to raise awareness and funds for numerous cancer charities. Amanda and 24 other high profile women (The Booby Birds) will raise a further £500,000 when they complete a free-fall parachute jump in aid of the charity on 22nd May 2010.

In January 2010, Amanda Wakeley was appointed OBE in the New Year Honours list. The award, for services to the British Fashion Industry, also recognises the considerable contribution that Amanda Wakeley has made and continues to make to the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Appeal.

Professor Wendy Dagworthy joined the Royal College of Art in 1998 where she became a Professor and Head of Fashion, becoming Head of the School of Fashion & Textiles in 2000.

She formed her own company in 1972 and two years later joined the prestigious London Designer Collections, where she subsequently became Director from 1982-1990. She had huge success during the 1970s and 80s selling her collections to an international market and exhibited seasonally at London, Milan, New York and Paris, which confirmed the importance of her contribution to the international fashion industry. In 1989 she became Course Director at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.

During the 1990s she became a design consultant to companies such as Laura Ashley, Liberty and Betty Jackson; a consultancy role which she still maintains. She has participated in various exhibitions, including the Cutting Edge exhibition in 1997 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, The London Look 2004, Museum of London and Focus on 4 Designers 2007, Bath Museum of Fashion.

Her personal dedication and passion for the fashion industry is reflected in the overwhelming amount of work she undertakes for all aspects of the industry. She has been a judge of many art and design projects, awards and competitions and has given lectures all over the world. She has been a member of key international and professional committees and remains an External Examiner for several major European colleges. Her ongoing commitment and influence continues with her membership of the British Fashion Council's management Council - a position held since 1996.

Brigitte Stepputtis has been with the Vivienne Westwood brand since 1990, when she started with the label as head of the studio. Having begun her career in fashion as an apprentice tailor and ladies pattern cutter, she went on to study MA in Fashion Design at the Hochschule Fuer Kunst und Musik in Bremen, Germany, where she graduated with distinction.

Brigitte became an integral part of the Westwood brand, co-ordinating all aspects of the Gold Label collections and then eventually designing the Vivienne Westwood Red Label collection. In 1996 Brigitte designed and launched the Bridal and evening wear collection, which is an exclusively made to measure service. Since 2003 she has managed the Couture shop in London's Davies Street, whilst working on the art direction for many of the brand's international advertising campaigns. As Head of Couture at Vivienne Westwood, Brigitte has dressed countless celebrities and has overseen the incredible Vivienne Westwood retrospectives in Bangkok, London and soon to be Milan.

Her innovative style and incredible fashion expertise has earned her numerous positions as a judge on many international fashion events such as the Lancome Competition at Central St.Martins, London; School of Fashion and Textiles Sweden; Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium and in 2007 and 2008 The Scottish Fashion Awards.

The Scottish Fashion Awards hope to draw upon Brigitte's extensive knowledge of textiles and are confident that her insight will enable the awards to identify fresh talent in these fields.

Hilary Alexander is the Fashion Director of The Daily Telegraph. She has worked at the newspaper for over 20 years.

Hilary has twice been awarded the British Fashion Journalist of the Year at the British Fashion Awards - first in 1998, and then in 2003. She has also been awarded the title Visiting Professor by the University of the Arts, London, and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Design (DDes) from Nottingham Trent University.

Hilary has extensive broadcast experience - she is often asked to provide a breakdown or comment on the latest trends for shows such as GMTV, BBC Breakfast and various documentaries for BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4. She is also regularly approached by radio stations and Sky News for her expert views.

Hilary is valued as a judge on various panels - such as the Bright Young Gems at International Jewellery London, awards held by the Ethical Fashion Forum, and is a member of the British Fashion Council's Press Committee.

She is the regular stylist and presenter for the Designer Catwalk shows at the annual Clotheshow Live in Birmingham and London.

Born in New Zealand, Hilary is a cat-lover and passionate traveller - her extensive reporting from the international catwalk shows for The Daily Telegraph and styling of her fashion pages sees her indulge in her love of going to new places.

Hartmann Media is an award winning fashion and lifestyle communications agency based just outside Glasgow. Founded almost 13 years ago by Tessa Hartmann, the company has grown in stature and reputation and boasts a small but dynamic team with an abundance of public relations, brand marketing and event management experience.

Having studied at Stirling University and graduating with a degree in Marketing and Business, Tessa has worked around the world including Washington DC and London on a variety of blue chip brands before specialising in her passion - fashion!

Tessa set up the first truly specialized fashion and lifestyle agency in Scotland and has accumulated a host of awards since. Such accolades from the Institute of Public Relations Pride Awards & Public Relations Excellence Awards have earned the agency the reputation as Scotland 's authority on fashion and lifestyle and a client roster that includes some of the world's most luxurious brands. With her team, Hartmann Media have worked with Ralph Lauren, Swarovski, LK Bennett, Patek Philippe, Bafta Scotland, Bvlgari, Stobo Castle Health Spa, Furla, MTV Europe, Louis Vuitton, Bentley Motors UK, Stephen Webster and Hamilton & Inches to name but a few.

Tessa has been polled in lists such as 'The Sunday Herald's Top 100 Most Influential Women in Scotland', 'Evening Times Most Influential People in Glasgow' and 'The Herald's Scotland's Top Power Players' to name but a few and her network of contacts holds no bounds. She is also currently working on her husband's animated feature film project 'Sir Billi' where she is a producer to the project. The high profile cast includes Sir Sean Connery, Alan Cumming, Ruby Wax, Miriam Margolyes and Oscar nominated Scottish composer Patrick Doyle.

She founded and produced the inaugural Scottish Fashion Awards in 2006, with has grown in stature and has now become the most high profile fashion and style event in Scotland attracting a host of luxury brands and international media from around the world.

Tessa will Chair the judging panel for 2010 providing in-depth biographies on the nominees for the judges challenging task.