FASHION | This Year’s CFDA Awards Winners Will Be Announced Digitally In September 14 With Two New International Categories

This year’s CFDA Awards were a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally scheduled for Monday, June 8, they would’ve kicked off NYFW: Resort and New York’s June men’s collections, both of which were like wise canceled. But the show must go on-virtually at least. This year’s winners will be announced on both CFDA.com and the CFDA’s social channels on Monday, September 14, which is the first day of shortened New York Fashion Week. It too is shaping up to be a largely digital affair.

‘In this time of unprecedented challenge and change for our industry, we feel very strongly that it is important to recognize the nominees representing the best of fashion creativity’, Tom Ford, chairman of the CFDA, said in a press release. ‘We look forward to returning to an in-person celebration honoring the American fashion industry in 2021’.

The awards would’ve been the first presided over by Ford as chairman. He has been planning changes, instituting two new prizes, the global woman’s designer of the year and the global men’s designer of the year, to replace the international award, which last year went to Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.

Another difference this year: With no formal ceremony, the CFDA has chosen not to name honorees, which tend to add star wattage to the evening. Last year, Jennifer Lopez picked up the fashion icon award, and in 2017 Cecile Richards, Gloria Steinem, and Janelle Monae shared the board of directors’ tribute.

‘In lieu of the in-person event, we will be prioritizing new and existing programming to support our designer community during the global pandemic – by redirecting efforts towards next-generation scholarship and making important changes to bring racial equity to the fashion industry’, said Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the CFDA, in the same statement.

So far this year the CFDA and Vogue’s fundraising initiative A Common Thread has raised $4.9 million to support members of the American fashion community affected by the crisis, $1 million of which has gone to Icon 360, a new nonprofit launched by Brandice Daniel of Harlem’s Fashion Row to provide forgivable relief to designers of color.

Racial equity remains an issue in the industry, however. Of the 15 designer nominated in the top American awards categories, only Kerby Jean – Raymond of Pyer Moss, Telfar Clemens, and Peter Do are people of color. The emerging designer category is more diverse and includes Christopher John Rogers, who was last year’s CFDA/Vogue Fahion Fund winner.

Find a full list of nominees here:

• American Womenswear Designer of the Year: Ashely Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row, Brandon Maxwell,  Gabriela Hearst, Marc Jacobs, and Tom Ford.
• American Menswear Designer of the Year: Emily Adams Bode for Bode, Kerby Jean-Raymond for Pyer Moss, Thom Browne, Todd Snyder, and Tom Ford.
• American Accessories of the Year: Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row, Gabriela Hearst, Jennifer Fisher for Jennifer Fisher Jewelry, Stuart Vevers for Coach, and Telfar Clemens for Telfar.
• American Emerging Designer of the Year:  Christopher John Rogers, Kenneth Nicholson, Peter Do, Reese Cooper, and Sarah Staudinger and George Augusto for Staud.
• Global Women’s Designer of the Year: Daniel Lee for Bottega Veneta, Dries Van Noten, Miuccia Prada for Prada, Pierppaolo Piccioli for Valentino, and Rick Owens.
• Global Men’s Designer of the Year: Graid Green, Dries Van Noten, Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, Kim Jones for Dior, and Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton.

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