Council of Fashion Designers of America

The first president of the CFDA was Sydney Wragge^[3] (1962–1965). Steven Kolb has been the CEO since 2006. As of January 2023, Thom Browne is the group's chairman; he follows Tom Ford, who served as chairman for three years. Additionally, Diane von Furstenberg served as chairman for 13 years from 2006 until 2019.^[4]

These people founded the CFDA in 1962:

The CFDA Fashion Awards were founded in 1980 with the first awards given in 1981. They honor and showcase excellence in fashion design.^[8] The CFDA Fashion Awards were created by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. They have been called "the Oscars of fashion".^[9][10] Prior to the establishment of the CFDA Awards, the Coty Awards fulfilled a similar role until they ended in 1985, with the final Coty Awards bestowed in September 1984.^[11][12] In 1997, the CFDA Fashion Awards made a decision to open the doors to young and upcoming designers.^[13][14]

Nominations are submitted by the Fashion Guild, a group of over 1,500 CFDA members including fashion editors, retailers, and stylists.^[15] Award winners are determined by vote and announced at an annual black tie event held in Manhattan. Award winners receive a trophy made by the New York firm Society Awards.^[16]

A number of honorary awards are also presented on the night. As of 2023 these include the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the four-time CFDA Fashion Award winner; the Media Award, given in honor of Eugenia Sheppard, the influential New York Herald Tribune journalist; the Founders Award, given in honor of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert; The Board of Director’s Tribute Award; the International Award, and the Fashion Icon award, which was first introduced in 2010.

For the 2022 and 2023 editions, Amazon Fashion sponsored the event.^[17][18]

The CFDA Awards have been given out since 1981.^[19] The 1981 awards were given out at the first annual CFDA awards ceremony on January 14, 1982 at a dinner in the New York Public Library.^[20][21] The winners had been announced two months before the ceremony^[20] which was originally scheduled for a television extravaganza in the fall of 1981.^[21] CFDA president Bill Blass had set off controversy when he announced that all of the nominees will be named winners to avoid televising designers as they lose awards.^[21][22] In response, nominee Geoffrey Beene rejected the award and said, "The industry needs a major award for its merit, not its emotion.”^[22]

In 1984, James Galanos received the first CFDA "Lifetime Achievement Award,"^[23] which the CFDA named after after Geoffrey Beene.^[24] At the 1984 awards, Bill Blass presented the "Eugenia Sheppard fashion award" to Earl Blackwell and said it would be given annually "for outstanding contribution to fashion journalism."^[25] However, Etta Froio, editor of Women's Wear Daily and W, who won the "Eugenia Sheppard award" in 1986, was later credited as the first recipient of the award.^[26][27] Stephen Sprouse received the CFDA "Best New Designer" award in 1984^[28] for his use of intense color and the new energy he brought to fashion.^[23]

The CFDA's first "Perry Ellis Award" for new fashion talent was given to David Cameron in 1986, the award was named after the former council president who died that year.^[29][26][30] The CFDA`s first international award was reportedly given to Christian Lacroix in 1986 for his influence on current fashion.^[26][31] However, Yves Saint Laurent had received a special award for worldwide influence at the 1981 awards,^[21] purportedly named "International Fashion Award."^[32]

Other awards:

• 1981: Special awards for Robert Lighton - khaki sportswear; Andrew Fezza - leather for men^[21] (or Award for Menswear);^[35] and Fernando Sanchez - Excellence in At-Homewear and Lingerie.^[36]
• 1984: Awards for: Astor Place Hair Designers - influence on contemporary hair design in America; Annie Flanders - fresh approach to fashion journalism as editor and publisher of Details magazine;^[23] Kitty D`Alessio, president of Chanel - “revitalizing Chanel’s image in the U.S.;”<sup>[37]</sup> John Fairchild, chairman of Fairchild Publications - M magazine;<sup>[23]</sup> Ira Neimark and Dawn Mello - rejuvenating Bergdorf Goodman<sup>[25]</sup>/leadership in retailing;<sup>[23]</sup> Peter Moore - Nike billboard advertising campaign; Bruce Weber - fashion advertising photography; Robert W. Pittman, executive vice president of MTV - MTV`s role in modern communications and its influence on fashion^[23]/"opening our eyes to a new medium";^[25] and Diana Vreeland, special consultant to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - "unparalleled contribution to the world of fashion as an art."^[23]
• 1986: Awards for Donna Karan - "impact on the total look of fashion"; Dalma Callado, model - personifying the spirit of fashion for 1986; Elsa Klensch, the style editor of Cable News Network - bringing fashion to television; Elle magazine;^[26] and Ralph Lauren - retailer of the year.^[31]

Reportedly the CFDA's first "International Award" was given to Gianni Versace in 1992^[38][39] although it was previously reported that Christian Lacroix received the CFDA's first international award in 1986^[26][31] and that Yves Saint Laurent received a CFDA international award in 1981.^[21][32] Princess Diana attended the awards in January 1995 to present a special award to her friend Elizabeth Tilberis, the British-born Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar.^[40][41][42]

In 1997, for the first time, the CFDA did not release all of the award winners before the awards ceremony. The nominees of the "Perry Ellis Awards" were announced at a press conference in November 1997 but the winners were not named until the February 1998 awards ceremony.^[43][44] In 1999, the date of the event was changed from January to June^[20] when the awards were televised for the first time, as the 18th Annual American Fashion Awards on E! Entertainment Television, marking the beginning of a five-year partnership with General Motors.^[45][46]

CFDA Fashion Award winners

Year	Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award	Womenswear Designer	Menswear Designer	Accessory Designer	Perry Ellis Award for New Talent	International Award	Notes
1990	Martha Graham	Donna Karan	Joseph Abboud	Manolo Blahnik	Christian Francis Roth	none	[47]
1991	Ralph Lauren	Isaac Mizrahi	Roger Forsythe for Perry Ellis	Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel	Todd Oldham	none	[48][49][50]
1992	Pauline Trigère	Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis	Donna Karan	Chrome Hearts	Anna Sui	Gianni Versace (  Italy)	[38][39]
1993	Judith Leiber and Polly Allen Mellen	Calvin Klein	Calvin Klein	none	Richard Tyler (womenswear); John Bartlett (menswear)	Prada (accessories) (  Italy)	[51][52][53]
1994	Carrie Donovan, Bernadine Morris, and Nonnie Moore	Richard Tyler	none	Robert Lee Morris (womenswear); Gene Meyer (menswear)	Victor Alfaro and Cynthia Rowley (tie) (womenswear); Robert Massimo Freda (menswear)	none	[42][30][54]
1995	Hubert de Givenchy	Ralph Lauren	Tommy Hilfiger	Hush Puppies	Marie-Anne Oudejans for Tocca (womenswear); Richard Tyler and Richard Edwards (by Richard Bengtsson and Edward Pavlick) (tie) (menswear); Kate Spade (accessories)	Tom Ford for Gucci	[55][30]
1996	Arnold Scaasi	Donna Karan	Ralph Lauren	Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co	Daryl Kerrigan for Daryl K (womenswear); Gene Meyer (menswear); Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison for Sigerson Morrison (accessories)	Helmut Lang (  Austria)	[56][57]
1997	Geoffrey Beene	Marc Jacobs	John Bartlett	Kate Spade	Narciso Rodriguez (womenswear); Sandy Dalal (menswear)	John Galliano (  Great Britain) for Dior	[43][44]
1999	Yves Saint Laurent	Michael Kors	Calvin Klein	Marc Jacobs	Josh Patner and Bryan Bradley for Tuleh (womenswear); Matt Nye (menswear); Tony Valentine (accessories)	Yohji Yamamoto (  Japan)	[46]

Other awards:

• 1990: Eugenia Sheppard Award for fashion journalism - Genevieve Buck, fashion editor of The Chicago Tribune. Special awards went to Emilio Pucci for design and color genius, and Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, for contribution to fashion. Special tribute to Roy Halston Frowick.^[47]
• 1991: Women of the Arts awards went to actress Anjelica Huston, opera singer Jessye Norman, and dancer/choreographer Judith Jamison. Eugenia Sheppard Award - Marylou Luther of the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Special awards went to Harley Davidson for bringing motorcycle leather jackets and bike accessories into the mainstream of fashion, and Marvin Traub, former chairman of Bloomingdale's, for retail innovation.^[48][49]
• 1992: Special awards went to Audrey Hepburn for a Lifetime of Style and her commitment to the children of the world, Steven Meisel for photography, and Patrick O'Connell for the Ribbon Project of Visual AIDS.^[38][39]
• 1993: Eugenia Sheppard Award - New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham; special award for sneakers shared by Converse, Adidas, Keds, Nike and Reebok; and special award for art direction for Fabien Baron, creative director of Harper's Bazaar. Salute to CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert.^[51]
• 1994: Eugenia Sheppard Award - Patrick McCarthy, executive vice president of Fairchild Publications. Special awards went to Elizabeth Tilberis, editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar, for contribution to the fashion industry^[42]/editorial achievement;^[58] Sara Lee Corp. for "The Year of the Wonderbra"; and Kevyn Aucoin for "The Artistry of Makeup." Special tribute to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for her “lifetime of style and grace and influence on American fashion.”^[42]
• 1995: Lifetime of Style Award - Lauren Bacall; Eugenia Sheppard Award - Suzy Menkes of International Herald Tribune; The Dom Perignon Award for Humanitarian Leadership - Bill Blass. Special awards went to Isaac Mizrahi and Douglas Keeve for the film Unzipped, for bringing the fashion world into the theater; and Robert Isabell for floral design.^[55][59]
• 1996: Dom Perignon award for Humanitarian Leadership - Kenneth Cole; Eugenia Sheppard award - New York Times fashion critic Amy Spindler; and special award for “furthering fashion as art and culture" - Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute's curator Richard Martin and associate curator Harold Koda.^[56][57]
• 1997: Lifetime of Glamour Award - Elizabeth Taylor; Dom Perignon Award for Humanitarian Leadership - Ralph Lauren; Stiletto Award - Manolo Blahnik; Global Influence on Fashion - Anna Wintour; and Lifetime Tribute Award^[43][60] (or Lifetime Recognition Award)^[61][62] - John Fairchild, retired chairman and editorial director of Fairchild Publications. Special tributes for Princess Diana and Gianni Versace.^[43]
• 1999: Lifetime of Glamour Award - Sophia Loren; Influence on Fashion Award - Cher; Humanitarian Award (posthumous) - Liz Tilberis; Eugenia Sheppard Award - Elsa Klensch of CNN;^[45] Timeless Talent Award - Betsey Johnson;^[63] Window on Fashion Award - Simon Doonan; and award “for putting the spotlight on Hollywood and fashion” - InStyle magazine.^[46][64]

The CFDA's first "Fashion Icon Award" was given to American socialite C.Z. Guest in 2002.^[65][66] The award was given to Nicole Kidman in 2003^[67] and to Sarah Jessica Parker in 2004.^[68][69] The CFDA decided to forgo the award in 2005, and instead gave the "Award for Fashion Influence" to Kate Moss.^[69][70] In 2002, the CFDA Fashion Awards also began a 17-year partnership with Swarovski that ended in 2019.^[20][71][72] In 2003, the awards for new designer talent, formerly known as the "Perry Ellis Awards," were renamed "Swarovski’s Perry Ellis Awards" and included a monetary prize for the first time to reflect the sponsorship.^[73][30]

In 2017, the CFDA introduced a single unified award for Emerging Talent that applies across womenswear, menswear and accessory design. Additionally, the CFDA added the Award for Positive Change, which honors an individual in the U.S. fashion industry who has made a positive impact on American communities and has improved the welfare of others.^[87]

For their 15th edition in 2016, and after seven years at Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, the CFDA Fashion Awards moved venue to the Hammerstein Ballroom.^[88] In 2018 and 2019, the award ceremonies were held at the Brooklyn Museum.^[89]

The 19th edition in 2020 saw a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which took place on 14 September.^[118] There were no honorary awards bestowed in this year, but the International Award was split into Women's and Men's sub-categories for the first time.

2021 saw the return of a live in-person event, held at The Pool + The Grill in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue.^[119] In 2022, the venue for the ceremony was Casa Cipriani in Manhattan. In 2023 it moved once again, this time to the American Museum of Natural History.

CFDA Fashion Award winners

Year	Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award	Womenswear Designer	Menswear Designer	Accessory Designer	Emerging Talent Award	International Award	Fashion Icon	Notes
2020	Not awarded	Gabriela Hearst	Kerby Jean-Raymond for Pyer Moss	Telfar Clemens	Christopher John Rogers	Pierpaolo Piccioli (  Italy) for Valentino (womenswear) Kim Jones (  Great Britain) for Dior (menswear)	Not awarded	[19][118][120][121]
2021	Dapper Dan	Christopher John Rogers	Emily Adams Bode Aujla for Bode	Telfar Clemens	Edvin Thompson for Theophilio	Demna (  Georgia) for Balenciaga(womenswear) Grace Wales Bonner (  Great Britain) (menswear)	Zendaya	[119][122]
2022	Laurie Lynn Stark and Richard Stark of Chrome Hearts	Catherine Holstein for Khaite	Emily Adams Bode Aujla for Bode	Raul Lopez for Luar	Elena Velez	Not awarded	Lenny Kravitz	[123][124][125]
2023	Maria Cornejo	Catherine Holstein for Khaite	Willy Chavarria	Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row	Diotima	Jonathan Anderson (  Great Britain) for JW Anderson and Loewe	Serena Williams	[126][127][128]

In 2010, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists Monique Péan, Patrik Ervell, and Sophie Theallet teamed up with Gap Inc.^[129] In 2012 and 2013 the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners and runners-up each created capsule collections with J. Crew.

In celebration of the organization's 50th Anniversary, Target and Neiman Marcus partnered with 24 CFDA members to create a special holiday collection that was available at both retailers. Additionally, the CFDA has partnered with Kohl's on designer collaborations such as Derek Lam for Kohl's and most recently, Catherine Malandrino for Kohl's.

On October 3, 2013, the CFDA and Google+ launched an innovative shopping tool, titled "Shoppable Hangouts", where users had the ability to shop Hangouts on Air (HOA). The CFDA kicked off the product launch with CFDA President Diane von Fürstenberg. Rachel Zoe, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of rag & bone, and Rebecca Minkoff also participated in the Shoppable Hangout experience.

The CFDA and Vogue Magazine have created an endowment for the stated purpose of funding significant financial awards to one or more designers and provide business mentoring. Awarded recipients are selected by a committee of industry experts.

The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Selection Committee annually selects three emerging fashion designers, who receive:

1. Business mentoring from an established team of fashion industry professionals, in areas such as business planning, marketing, sourcing, production, exporting etc.
2. To encourage and enable the recipients to pursue his/her own independent design plan (one winner at $300,000 and two runners-up at $100,000 each).

• 2014: Paul Andrew (Winner),^[130] Wes Gordon, Edie Parker and Simon Miller
• 2015: Becca McCharen-Tran of Chromat; Rio Uribe of Gypsy Sport (Winner)^[131]
• 2017: Chromat:^[132] Becca McCharen-Tran (Runner Up), Telfar Clemens (Winner)^[133]
• 2018: Kerby Jean-Raymond (Winner)^[134][135]
• 2019: Abdul Abasi and Greg Rosborough of Abasi Rosborough; Alejandra Alonso Rojas; Victor Barragan of Barragán; Hillary Taymour of Collina Strada, Danielle Hirsch of Danielle Frankel; Raffaella Hanley of Lou Dallas; Siying Qu and Haoran Li of Private Policy; Reese Cooper; Natalie Ratabesi of Tre by Natalie Ratabesi; and Christopher John Rogers (Winner)^[136]

In 2021 and 2022, all 10 finalist designers were granted resources including funds and mentorship. Global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast, Anna Wintour, made a public statement noting that "After an incredibly challenging time for all of us in fashion, especially here in New York, we're thrilled that this year we are able to support all of our finalists."^[137] This was to address the challenges the American fashion industry is facing.^[138]

• 2021: Batsheva Hay of Batsheva; Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta of Eckhaus Latta; Anifa Mvuemba of Hanifa; Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka of House of Aama; Kenneth Nicholson; Jameel Mohammed of Khiry; LaQuan Smith; Abrima Erwiah of Studio 189; Edvin Thompson of Theophilio; and Willy Chavarria^[139]
• 2022: Jacques Agbobly of Black Boy Knits; Elena Velez; Felisha Noel of Fe Noel; Lauren Harwell Godfrey of Harwell Godfrey; Taofeek Abijako of head of State; Conley Averett of Judy Turner; Colm Dillane of Kidsuper; Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph of No Sesso; Omar Salam of Sukeina; and, Jackson Wiederhoeft of Wiederhoeft^[138]

2023 Return to Old Format

In 2023, CFDA chose to return to their prior format, awarding 1 winner $300,000 and 2 runners up $100,000 each.^[140] However, all 10 finalists are given meaningful business mentorship and support.

• 2023: Angelo Fabricio Urrutia of 4SDesigns; Colin LoCascio; Rachel Scott of Diotima (Runner Up);^[141] Kim Shui; Kozaburo Akasaka of Kozaburo; Melitta Baumeister (Winner);^[5] Sami Miro of Sami Miro Vintage; Fletcher Kasell and Tanner Richie of Tanner Fletcher; Everard Best and Téla D’Amore of WHO DECIDES WAR; and Henry Zankov of Zankov (Runner Up).^[5]

The CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} is a business development program designed to support the next generation of fashion designers in New York City. The program provides a creative professional environment with the mission of helping to grow and sustain the businesses of the 10 participating brands over the course of the two-year program. By offering low-cost design studio space, business mentoring, educational seminars, and networking opportunities, the program provides a way for participants to reach their full potential and become an integral part of the New York Fashion community. In 2010, the program partnered with New York University's Stern School of Business to create a Masters Workshop that pairs their top MBA Students with the designers to work on business development projects.

Successful alumni of the Incubator program include Prabal Gurung and the 2013 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School.

The 4.0 class (2016–2018) of the {FASHION INCUBATOR} includes Alexandra Alvarez of Alix, Aurora James of Brother Vellies, Charles Youssef, Daniel DuGoff of Ddugoff, Tim Joo and Dan Joo of Haerfest, Jason Alkire and Julie Alkire of Haus Alkire, Ji Oh, Katie deGuzman and Michael Miller of K/ller Collection, Thaddeus O’Neil, and Molly Yestadt of Yestadt Millinery.^[142]

The Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI) is an investment fund to help revitalize New York City's garment industry. The program offers matching financial grants to New York City's fashion manufacturing production facilities.

In March 2018, the CFDA and NYCA announced that the following seven production facilities would receive a combined total of $480,000 in the fifth round of FMI grants: Atelier Amelia, Sunrise Studio, In Style USA, Mudo Fashion, New York Embroidery Studio, Season Wash, and Werkstatt.^[143]

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer® (FTBC), a charitable initiative of the CFDA/CFDA Foundation, seeks to raise public awareness and funds for the breast cancer cause.

The Fashion Targets Breast Cancer name and symbol were created by Ralph Lauren and subsequently entrusted to the CFDA Foundation. FTBC was first presented in the U.S. in the spring of 1994 during New York Fashion Week, and was formally launched in September 1994 at a special White House reception hosted by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. During this initial campaign, 400,000 FTBC shirts were sold, raising $2 million to benefit the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Health at the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center.^[144] This center was chosen as beneficiary at Ralph Lauren's request, in memory of his friend Nina Hyde, the former fashion editor of The Washington Post, who died of breast cancer in 1990.

Since 2011, the council has led an annual campaign to promote the initiative and partners with well known fashion icons. In 2017, Fabletics partnered with Fashion Targets Breast Cancer to produce an activewear collection. A portion of all sales for the collection would be donated to target breast cancer screening and treatment.^[145][146]

To date, nearly $50 million has been granted to breast cancer charities worldwide from FTBC campaigns.^[147] CFDA Members have designed special FTBC branded or inspired merchandise, which was either sold or auctioned over the course of the campaign.

The CFDA scholarship program was created to award annual merit-based scholarship grants to students who study in a four-year, full-time college level design program. It has awarded $1,399,250 to students.^[148] The Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship Award, the Liz Claiborne Design Scholarship Award, and the CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship Award in partnership with Target selected scholars from one of the CFDA's 20 participating design schools and donated $25,000 towards tuition and educational expenses. The awards are based solely on merit and judged by a panel of industry experts.

Notable CFDA Members include:^[149]

• Tom Ford
• Gladys Tamez
• Prabal Gurung
• Calvin Klein
• Michael Kors
• Alexander Wang (designer)
• Vera Wang
• Diane von Fürstenberg
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Gabriela Hearst
• Ralph Lauren
• Elena Velez
• Maria Cornejo

The CFDA has published the following books, listed in order by publish date:

• American Fashion Home
• American Travel
• Scheips, Charlie (2007). American Fashion. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Assouline Publishing. ISBN 978-2759401611.
• Hastreiter, Kim; Beene, Geoffrey (2008). Geoffrey Beene: An American Fashion Rebel. Assouline Publishing. ISBN 9782759402663.
• Pratts Price, Candy; Glasscock, Jessica; Tavee, Art (2008). American Fashion Accessories. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Assouline Publishing. ISBN 9782759402861.
• Marsh, Lisa; Stewart, Martha (2009). American Fashion Cookbook. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Assouline Publisher. ISBN 9782759404056.
• Bryan, Robert E. (2009). American Fashion Menswear. Assouline Publishing. ISBN 9782759404094.
• Suqi, Rima A. (2010). American Fashion Designers at Home. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Assouline Publishing. ISBN 9782759404711.
• Mears, Patricia (2012). IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419702310.
• Von Furstenberg, Diane; Alba, Jessica (2014). The Pursuit of Style: Advice and Musings from America's Top Fashion Designers. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419706219.
• Systrom, Kevin; Kolb, Steven (2015). Designers on Instagram: #fashion. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419715587.
• Moore, Booth (2018). American Runway: 75 Years of Fashion and the Front Row. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419726484.

• New York Fashion Week
• Arab Fashion Council
• British Fashion Council
• Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
• National Chamber of Italian Fashion
• List of fashion awards

• Official website

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