2012 CFDA FASHION AWARDS NOMINEES & HONOREES ANNOUNCED

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced the nominees, honorees and host for the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards at an exclusive event on March 14, 2012 hosted by CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg at the designer’s studio in the Meatpacking District.

The 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards will be hosted by Seth Meyers, head writer and anchor of Saturday Night Live, and will be part of a yearlong celebration of the CFDA’s 50^th Anniversary. The Awards will take place on Monday, June 4^th at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.

Von Furstenberg started the proceedings by thanking Nadja and Swarovski for their continued support of American fashion. Von Furstenberg and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb then made the announcements of nominees and honorees.

The nominees for Womenswear Designer of the Year Award are Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs.  The Menswear Designer of the Year nominees are: Billy Reid, Patrik Ervell, and Simon Spurr.  For Accessory Designer of the Year Award the nominees are: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Reed Krakoff.

Chris Peters & Shane Gabier for Creatures of the Wind, Joseph Altuzarra, and Max Osterweis & Erin Beatty for Suno have been nominated for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear. The nominees for the Swarovski Award for Menswear are Antonio Azzuolo, Phillip Lim, and Todd Snyder.  For the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design, the nominees are Irene Neuwirth, Pamela Love, and Tabitha Simmons.

The Swarovski Award recipients in each category will receive generous financial support from Swarovski as well as exposure to the company’s vast and innovative Swarovski crystal resources.

The honorary awards go to a diverse group of people. The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the fiercely independent, four-time CFDA Fashion Award winner, will be presented to Tommy Hilfiger.

The Media Award, given in honor of Eugenia Sheppard, the influential journalist who revolutionized fashion reporting with her reports in the New York City Herald Tribune, will be given to Scott Schuman & Garance Doré.

The Fashion Icon Award will given to Johnny Depp, the first male recipient to receive the award, for his personal and eclectic sense of style.

The Founders Award, given in honor of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert who is widely credited with putting American fashion on the map, will go to Andrew Rosen.

The International Award will go to Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons for making an outstanding creative contribution to the world of fashion.

“This year, as we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the CFDA, we can see what a critical role the CFDA Fashion Awards continue to play in our efforts to promote American Fashion,” said Steven Kolb, CFDA CEO. “This year’s nominees truly represent the important influence of American design.  We look forward to once again honoring the best and brightest talent working today. Winning a CFDA Fashion Award is the highest and one of the most coveted honors one can receive in our industry. All of this is made possible by the long-time support of Swarovski.”

The yearlong celebration of the CFDA’s 50^th Anniversary kicked off in February with the exhibition opening at the Museum at F.I.T. titled IMPACT: Fifty Years of the CFDA and the companion book IMPACT: 50 Years of the Council of Fashion Designers of America which explores the impact of America’s most influential designers over the last five decades.

“This year, Swarovski is proud to celebrate the 11th anniversary of our partnership with the CFDA Fashion Awards,” said Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Executive Board, Swarovski Crystal Business. “Each of this year’s nominees is truly an industry leader and part of the new generation of American talent.  In particular, we are immensely delighted with the nominees for the Swarovski Awards who are exceptionally talented and extraordinarily creative.”

Nominations for each award category are submitted by the CFDA Fashion Awards Selection Committee, made up of the 400+ members of the CFDA, along with top fashion retailers, journalists, and stylists. The nominees, as well as recipients of the honorary awards, were confirmed yesterday at a meeting of the CFDA Board of Directors.