The CFDA Fashion Awards Nominees Are In (and It’s a Good Year to Be an Olsen)
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If the Met Gala is the fashion industry’s prom (or Super Bowl, as described by Andre Leon Talley), then the CFDA Fashion Awards are its Oscars.
Each year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America — led by chairman Diane von Furstenberg and president and CEO Steven Kolb, who’s celebrating his tenth year in the roll — unites to honor the business’s best and brightest. Last year saw wins for The Row’s Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (they snagged Womenswear Designer of the Year), Tom Ford (Menswear Designer of the Year), and Pharrell Williams (Fashion Icon Award), making the CFDAs a reliably good predictor of the designers who make an impact each year.
Wednesday night at an intimate event at New York City’s New Museum, von Furstenberg presented the CFDA honorees, a list of individuals who’ve made great contributions to fashion, as well as the nominees for the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards (and let’s just say it’s a good year to be Altuzarra or The Row).
See the full list below — and stay tuned to see the winners when they’re announced on Monday, June 6, in New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
• International Award honoree: Gucci’s Alessandro Michele.
• Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Imran Amed, founder of Business of Fashion.
• Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert: Donna Karan.
• Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Norma Kamali.
• Board of Directors’ Tribute: David Bowie.
• Womenswear Designer of the Year nominees: Joseph Altuzarra for Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte, Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row.
• Menswear Designer of the Year nominees: Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne for Public School, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville for Rag & Bone, Thom Browne, Tim Coppens, Todd Snyder.
• Accessories Designer of the Year nominees: Joseph Altuzarra for Altuzarra, Irene Neuwirth, Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel for Mansur Gavriel, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row.
• Swarovski Award for Womenswear nominees: Brandon Maxwell, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia for Monse, Ryan Roche.
• Swarovski Award for Menswear nominees: Rio Uribe for Gypsy Sport, John Elliott, and Matthew, Alex, and Samantha Orley for Orley.
• Swarovski Award for Accessory Design nominees: Aurora James for Brother Vellies, Gigi Burris, Paul Andrew.
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