Key figures from the UK fashion industry including Biba founderBarbara Hulanicki, shoe designer Emma Hope and Fashion East founder Lulu Kennedy have made Britain's New Year's honors list for 2012.

The British honors system is one of the oldest in the world, recognizing achievement in various realms with lists announced twice yearly; at New Year's and in June on the date of Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday.

The 2012 list has been a particularly stylish one, with Hulanicki, founder of the iconic 1960s London fashion store and brand Biba being named an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).

"I'm just absolutely thrilled. It's thrilling for a Polish person to get an award like that from the Queen," the Polish-born, England-raised designer told WWD.

While Biba has been sold at UK department store House of Frasersince 2010, Hulanicki has also designed collections for high street retailers Topshop and George at Asda.

An MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) title goes to Kennedy, founder of the Fashion East program that supports rising young London-based designers. Emerging creators including Roksanda Ilincic and Jonathan Saunders are just two of the names that the program has assisted.

Shoe designer Emma Hope, whose shoes and bags are sold in over 150 stores worldwide and who has also designed footwear for Paul Smith, Anna Sui and Mulberry, was too named an MBE, as were husband-and-wife team John Ayton and Annoushka Ducas, founders of the Links of London jewelry brand for men and women and Annoushka, the female jewelry label favored by celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Rihanna.

There are various levels of membership to the British honors system, with the highest ranks allowing the individual to become a knight or dame. One creator to achieve this accolade is Dame Vivienne Westwood, who advanced from OBE to DBE in the 2006 New Year's Honors List for services to fashion. The designer, known for her punk origins, famously collected her OBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 wearing no knickers.