'I'm Manchester through and through' - Manc BRIT Awards trophy designer 2026 announced
The BRIT Awards trophy designer for 2026 has been named as Mancunian fashion and interior designer, Matthew Williamson.
The next BRIT Awards ceremony will be the first time that the awards have taken place outside of London.
Today, Matthew Williamson came to the University of Manchester to talk about all things Manchester and BRITs.
When asked about his connection to Manchester, he said: “I’m Manchester through and through. I live in Majorca actually now and its kind of the opposite to Manchester in lots of ways but I come back all the time, my parents live here, my sister lives here and I feel my happiest when I’m back here. It’s an amazing city, it always was.”
Matthew also talked about the initial email he had, asking him to design the BRIT Awards 2026 trophy.
He said: “I was over the moon, that was my first feeling. I read the email a couple of times just to make sure I had read it properly and that I had been chosen to do this project, really flattered and chuffed to be doing it.”
Matthew designed the trophy on the iconic Manchester worker bee, on the symbol of the bee itself, he said: “For me it means making something from not very much, working hard, working as a team, creating something magical and special.”
During the design process, Matthew said that he no trouble knowing that this would be the design for the BRIT Awards trophy, he said: “Without sounding too arrogant I felt it really quickly. I felt like it had a really strong, clear idea and it would be understood.”
On the creating a design that speaks to musicians specifically, Matthew said: “I imagine they’re quite a stylish bunch, that was also in my head. They’re in the arts, they’re creative, they’re concerned with their appearance and how they look and they probably live in great homes and houses and I really wanted to feel like they would be proud of it.”
Matthew also stated that he will be incredibly happy to see any of the musicians on the night taking home one of his trophies, however, he is backing singer Olivia Dean to pick one up on the night.
Make sure to tune into the BRIT Awards on the 28th of February.