Awards
2013 CFDA Fashion Awards bestowed in presence of Hillary Clinton
A row of CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America, Prsident is Diane von Fürstenberg) fashion Awards were bestowed on June 4, 2013 in New York. At the same time the organisation‘s anniversary was celebrated at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre. TV personality and Bravo executive Andy Cohen was the host for the evening, the generously supporter was Swarovski for digital broadcast and bestowed the three Swarovsky Awards
The women’s wear Designer of the year honours went to Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, presented by Kerry Washington. The counter piece for men’s wear was presented by Dan Stevens to Thom Browne. Philip Lim for 3.1 was bestowed with the Accessories Designer of the Year Award, presented by Rose Byrne.
Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton gave a moving tribute to Founders Award recipient Oscar de la Renta, whom she met while hosting the Kennedy Centre Honours in 1993. She praised him for his unique contribution to fashion.
The Swarovski Award for women’s wear was given to Erin Beatty & Max Osterweis for Suno, the one for men’s wear went to Dao-Yi Chow & Maxwell Osborne for Public School and the one for Accessories Design was given to Pamela Love. These awards were presented by Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth, stars of the upcoming film Romeo & Juliet from Swarovski Entertainment. Nadja Swarovski, Member of Swarovski’s Executive Board stated: “WE are proud to support all of the Swarovski Award nominees, and look forward to seeing a brilliant future unfold for each of the designers”. 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 Vera Wang by Ralph Lauren for her consistent, creative influence on fashion.
The Media Award for excellence in journalism, originally created in honour of Eugenia Sheppard, was presented to Tim Blanks by Linda Evangelista. The bestowing of the International Award went to Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy and was presented by Jessica Chastain.
The Board of Directors’ Tribute was given to Colleen Atwood by Ethan Hawke, and Atwood is the first costume designer to be recognised by CFDA.
At the celebration a long list of VIP guests were present such as designers, models and from Hollywood, music, fashion, art, and sport. Also presented was a film by Jun Diaz shot at a historic Renaissance Revival mansion and it provided a thematic foundation through which all individual honouree and nominee tributes were connected. Additionally photos of the nominees from the 80’s and 90’s were revealed in a film “The Vault” and a riff on the popular “Texts from Hillary” meme was adapted for the fashion audience, and was relevant given the Secretary’s presence in the audience.
CFDA is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1962 that leads industry wide initiatives, and whose membership consists of more than 400 of America’s foremost women’s and men’s wear, jewellery and accessory designers. The organisation offers programmes supporting professional development and scholarships, including the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the Geoffrey Beeene Design Scholar Award, the Liz Caliborne Scholarship Award, the CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship, and the Gilt All Star Scholarship. Member support is provided through the Business Service Network, a high profile group of companies offering designers strategic opportunities, among other activities and the Awards bestowing.