The annual Council of Fashion Designers of America‘s Womenswear Designer of the Year honors went to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen for The Row. CFDA Fashion Award is one of the most coveted awards of US fashion industry. The award for Menswear Designer of the Year was presented by Matt Bomer to Billy Reid. Reed Krakoff took home the Accessory Designer of the Year Award, presented by Jessica Paré.
“This year’s awards were particularly special,” said CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg. “We honored the best talent working in American fashion today and celebrated CFDA’s 50th Anniversary and the impact of our family of designers.”
The opening of the CFDA Fashion Awards featured a film directed by Zoe Cassavetes. The two-minute film paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the CFDA and its members. The film was followed by a live retrospective of five decades of impactful clothes designed by CFDA members.
Steven Kolb read an email from Johnny Depp onstage which Kolb received just minutes before appearing on stage. The message was sent by Depp from the set of his film “The Lone Ranger” to thank the CFDA for the Fashion Icon award.
Seth Meyers appeared again mid-show to perform a second monologue dressed in the same Comme des Garçons men’s sheer lace dress and boxers worn by Marc Jacobs a month earlier at the Met gala.
The closing segment of the Awards included a career retrospective film of Tommy Hilfiger followed by a live performance by the acapella group, The Princeton Footnotes.
AWARD WINNERS & HONOREES:
Lily Collins presented the three Swarovski Awards, which honor and recognize emerging talent. The Swarovski Award for Womenswear was given to Joseph Altuzarra. The Swarovski Award for Menswear was presented to Phillip Lim. The Swarovski Award for Accessory Design went to Tabitha Simmons. Recipients in each category will receive generous financial support from the company as well as exposure to the company’s vast and innovative crystal products and applications for fashion.
The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Tommy Hilfiger by Anna Wintour for his consistent, creative influence on fashion.
The Founder’s Award, established in memory of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert was given to Andrew Rosen by Kenneth Cole.
The Media Award for excellence in journalism, originally created in honor of Eugenia Sheppard, was presented to digital journalists Scott Schuman and Garance Doré byPharrell Williams.
Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons was recognized with this year’s International Award. Johnny Depp was given the Fashion Icon award. Both Kawakubo’s and Depp’s award were presented by director John Waters.
