SEE ALL OF THE 2016 CFDA FASHION AWARD NOMINEES UNVEILED LAST NIGHT AT THE NEW MUSEUM

CFDA Fashion Awards
by Stephen Garner

CFDA Fashion AwardsOn Wednesday, March 16, CFDA chairman Diane von Furstenberg and Nadja Swarovski unveiled the names of the nominees and honorees for the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards at an exclusive event at the New Museum. The 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards, to be presented in collaboration with Swarovski for the 15th year, will be held on June 6th at Hammerstein Ballroom.

The Menswear Designer of the Year Award nominees are Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne for Public School, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville for Rag & Bone, Tim Coppens, Thom Browne and Todd Snyder. The nominees for the Swarovski Award for Menswear are Rio Uribe for Gypsy Sport, John Elliott, and Alex Orley, Matthew Orley and Samantha Orley for Orley.

For Womenswear Designer of the Year, the nominees are Joseph Altuzarra for Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte, and Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row. Brandon Maxwell, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia for Monse and Ryan Roche have been nominated for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear.

For the Accessory Designer of the Year Award, the nominees are Joseph Altuzarra for Altuzarra, Irene Neuwirth, Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel for Mansur Gavriel, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row. For the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design, the nominees are Aurora James for Brother Vellies, Gigi Burris, and Paul Andrew.

The CFDA’s honorary awards will go to a diverse group of fashion luminaries. The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to designer Norma Kamali; the Media Award, given in honor of journalist Eugenia Sheppard, will be given to Imran Amed of The Business of Fashion; the Founder’s Award, given in honor of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert, will be presented to Donna Karan; the International Award will be given to designer Alessandro Michele of Gucci for his creative contribution to the international fashion stage; and the Board of Directors Tribute will posthumously be presented to musician and fashion icon David Bowie, who passed away earlier this year.

“The CFDA Fashion Awards honor the best and brightest talent in American Fashion today,” said Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the CFDA. “A CFDA Award is one of the most coveted honors in the fashion industry, and for the 15th consecutive year, the Awards are made possible with their invaluable support.”

Nominations for each award category were submitted by the CFDA Fashion Awards Guild, made up of the 500+ members of the CFDA, along with top fashion retailers, journalists, and stylists. The nominees, as well as recipients of the honorary awards, were then confirmed at a meeting of the CFDA Board of Directors.