The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced the nominees, honorees and host for the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards.
The 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards will be hosted by Seth Meyers, head writer and anchor of Saturday Night Live, and will be part of a yearlong celebration of the CFDA’s 50th Anniversary. The Awards will take place on Monday, June 4th at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.
“This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the CFDA, we can see what a critical role the CFDA Fashion Awards continue to play in our efforts to promote American Fashion,” said Steven Kolb, CFDA CEO. “This year’s nominees truly represent the important influence of American design. We look forward to once again honoring the best and brightest talent working today.”
The yearlong celebration of the CFDA’s 50th Anniversary kicked off in February with the exhibition opening at the Museum at F.I.T. titled IMPACT: Fifty Years of the CFDA and the companion book IMPACT: 50 Years of the Council of Fashion Designers of America which explores the impact of America’s most influential designers over the last five decades.
The nominees for Womenswear Designer of the Year Award are Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs. The Menswear Designer of the Year nominees are: Billy Reid, Patrik Ervell, and Simon Spurr. For Accessory Designer of the Year Award the nominees are: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Reed Krakoff.
Chris Peters & Shane Gabier for Creatures of the Wind, Joseph Altuzarra, and Max Osterweis & Erin Beatty for Suno have been nominated for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear. The nominees for the Swarovski Award for Menswear are Antonio Azzuolo, Phillip Lim, and Todd Snyder. For the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design, the nominees are Irene Neuwirth, Pamela Love, and Tabitha Simmons.
The honorary awards go to a diverse group of people. The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the fiercely independent, four-time CFDA Fashion Award winner, will be presented to Tommy Hilfiger.
The Media Award, given in honor of Eugenia Sheppard, the influential journalist who revolutionized fashion reporting with her reports in the New York City Herald Tribune, will be given to Scott Schuman & Garance Doré.
The Fashion Icon Award will given to Johnny Depp, the first male recipient to receive the award, for his personal and eclectic sense of style.
The Founders Award, given in honor of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert who is widely credited with putting American fashion on the map, will go to Andrew Rosen.
The International Award will go to Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons for making an outstanding creative contribution to the world of fashion.
Nominations for each award category are submitted by the CFDA Fashion Awards Selection Committee, made up of the 400+ members of the CFDA, along with top fashion retailers, journalists, and stylists. The final votes will be tabulated by Ernst & Young LLP, the official accounting firm of the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards.
