Last night the CFDA (essentially the US version of the British Fashion Council) held their annual award ceremony to celebrate the best stateside talent. The night was dominated by Belgian designer Raf Simons who scooped the top two prizes. Winning both Menswear and Womenswear Designer of the Year for Calvin Klein – a feat only achieved only once before by the namesake designer himself in 1993.
Demna Gvasalia – of Vetements and Balenciaga – picked up the International Award. It comes following the announcement last week that Vetements would be quitting the runway in favour of more interesting presentations. Elsewhere, Stuart Vevers was awarded Accessories Designer of the Year for his work at the helm of Coach.
Rick Owens, who won the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, proved the power of putting on a show captivating the audience with several models descending from the ceiling in his punk-goth designs. Introduced by wife and muse Michele Lamy the designer said “thank you for allowing me to be heard” as he accepted the award. In a first ever for a makeup artist, the legendary Pat McGrath was honoured with the Founder’s Award, promising to continue her work pushing for diversity in fashion.
The Fashion Icon Award, previously won by Rihanna and Beyoncé, was this year awarded posthumously to Vogue Italia’s Franca Sozzani who sadly passed away at the end of last year. Longstanding friend Anna Wintour shared a few words on her contribution to the fashion industry. “Franca and I were thrown into each other's lives quickly. When we were hired to lead our magazines the very same week but we became friends slowly,” she said. “Frankly I was just really intimated by that magnificent hair,” the editor shared before reading Death is Nothing At All by Henry Scott-Holland.
