Abbreviation | CFDA |
---|---|
Formation | 1962 |
Founder | Eleanor Lambert |
Type | Trade association |
Legal status | Nonprofit organization |
Purpose | To strengthen the impact of American fashion in the global economy |
Location | |
Fields | Fashion |
Membership (2019) | 484 [1] |
Chairman | Thom Browne |
CEO | Steven Kolb |
Website | cfda |
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, [2] and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory designers. The organization promotes American designers in the global economy.
In addition to hosting the annual CFDA Fashion Awards, the organization develops future American design talent through scholarships and resources in high schools, colleges, and postgraduate schools. The CFDA also provides funding and business opportunities for working designers. Through the CFDA Foundation, the organization supports charitable causes.
The first president of the CFDA was Sydney Wragge [3] (from 1962 until 1965). Steven Kolb has been the CEO since 2006. As of January 2023, Thom Browne is the group's chairman; he follows Tom Ford, who served as chairman for three years. Additionally, Diane von Furstenberg served as chairman for 13 years from 2006 until 2019. [4]
Cazabat Jean-Michel has been its member since 2011. [5]
The following people were founding members of the CFDA from 1962:
The CFDA Fashion Awards were founded in 1980 with the first awards given in 1981. They honor and showcase excellence in fashion design. [9] The CFDA Fashion Awards were created by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. They have been called "the Oscars of fashion". [10] [11] Prior to the establishment of the CFDA Awards, the Coty Awards fulfilled a similar role until they ended in 1985, with the final Coty Awards bestowed in September 1984. [12] [13] In 1997, the CFDA Fashion Awards made a decision to open the doors to young and upcoming designers. [14] [15]
Nominations are submitted by the Fashion Guild, a group of over 1,500 CFDA members including fashion editors, retailers, and stylists. [16] Award winners are determined by vote and announced at an annual black tie event held in Manhattan. Award winners receive a trophy made by the New York firm Society Awards. [17]
A number of honorary awards are also presented on the night. As of 2023 these include the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the four-time CFDA Fashion Award winner; the Media Award, given in honor of Eugenia Sheppard, the influential New York Herald Tribune journalist; the Founders Award, given in honor of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert; The Board of Director’s Tribute Award; the International Award, and the Fashion Icon award, which was first introduced in 2010.
For the 2022 and 2023 editions, Amazon Fashion sponsored the event. [18] [19]
Year | Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award | Womenswear Designer | Menswear Designer | Accessory Designer | Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-Wear | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | Fernando Sanchez | Jhane Barnes | [20] | |||
1982 | ||||||
1983 | Patricia Underwood | [7] | ||||
1984 | James Galanos | |||||
1985 | Katharine Hepburn | Donna Karan | ||||
1986 | Bill Blass | |||||
1987 | Giorgio Armani | Ronaldus Shamask | Marc Jacobs | |||
1988 | Richard Avedon; Nancy Reagan | Bill Robinson | ||||
1989 | Oscar de la Renta | Isaac Mizrahi | Joseph Abboud | [21] |
Year | Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award | Womenswear Designer | Menswear Designer | Accessory Designer | Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-Wear | International Award | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | Martha Graham | Donna Karan | Joseph Abboud | Christian Francis Roth | |||
1991 | Ralph Lauren | Isaac Mizrahi | Roger Forsythe | Karl Lagerfeld | |||
1992 | |||||||
1993 | |||||||
1994 | |||||||
1995 | |||||||
1996 | Shew York | Donna Karan | Daryl Kerrigan for Daryl K (womenswear) | ||||
1997 | Geoffrey Beene | Marc Jacobs | John Bartlett | John Galliano ( Great Britain ) for Dior | [15] | ||
1999 | Yves Saint Laurent | Michael Kors | Calvin Klein | Yohji Yamamoto ( Japan ) |
2010 saw the introduction of the honarary Fashion Icon award with model Iman being the first recipient. [24] In 2017, the CFDA introduced a single unified award for Emerging Talent that applies across womenswear, menswear and accessory design. Additionally, the CFDA added the Award for Positive Change, which honors an individual in the U.S. fashion industry who has made a positive impact on American communities and has improved the welfare of others. [25]
For their 15th edition in 2016, and after seven years at Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, the CFDA Fashion Awards moved venue to the Hammerstein Ballroom. [26] In 2018 and 2019, the award ceremonies were held at the Brooklyn Museum. [27]
The 19th edition in 2020 saw a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which took place on 14 September. [55] There were no honorary awards bestowed in this year, but the International Award was split into Women's and Men's sub-categories for the first time.
2021 saw the return of a live in-person event, held at The Pool + The Grill in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue. [56] In 2022, the venue for the ceremony was Casa Cipriani in Manhattan. In 2023 it moved once again, this time to the American Museum of Natural History.
In 2010, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists Monique Péan, Patrik Ervell, and Sophie Theallet teamed up with Gap Inc. [67] In 2012 and 2013 the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners and runners-up each created capsule collections with J. Crew.
In celebration of the organization's 50th Anniversary, Target and Neiman Marcus partnered with 24 CFDA members to create a special holiday collection that was available at both retailers. Additionally, the CFDA has partnered with Kohl's on designer collaborations such as Derek Lam for Kohl's and most recently, Catherine Malandrino for Kohl's.
On October 3, 2013, the CFDA and Google+ launched an innovative shopping tool, titled "Shoppable Hangouts", where users had the ability to shop Hangouts on Air (HOA). The CFDA kicked off the product launch with CFDA President Diane von Fürstenberg. Rachel Zoe, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of rag & bone, and Rebecca Minkoff also participated in the Shoppable Hangout experience.
The CFDA and Vogue Magazine have created an endowment for the stated purpose of funding significant financial awards to one or more designers and provide business mentoring. Awarded recipients are selected by a committee of industry experts.
The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Selection Committee annually selects three emerging fashion designers, who receive:
In 2021 and 2022, all 10 finalist designers were granted resources including funds and mentorship. Global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast, Anna Wintour, made a public statement noting that "After an incredibly challenging time for all of us in fashion, especially here in New York, we're thrilled that this year we are able to support all of our finalists." [75] This was to address the challenges the American fashion industry is facing. [76]
2023 Return to Old Format
In 2023, CFDA chose to return to their prior format, awarding 1 winner $300,000 and 2 runners up $100,000 each. [78] However, all 10 finalists are given meaningful business mentorship and support.
The CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} is a business development program designed to support the next generation of fashion designers in New York City. The program provides a creative professional environment with the mission of helping to grow and sustain the businesses of the 10 participating brands over the course of the two-year program. By offering low-cost design studio space, business mentoring, educational seminars, and networking opportunities, the program provides a way for participants to reach their full potential and become an integral part of the New York Fashion community. In 2010, the program partnered with New York University's Stern School of Business to create a Masters Workshop that pairs their top MBA Students with the designers to work on business development projects.
Successful alumni of the Incubator program include Prabal Gurung and the 2013 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School.
The 4.0 class (2016–2018) of the {FASHION INCUBATOR} includes Alexandra Alvarez of Alix, Aurora James of Brother Vellies, Charles Youssef, Daniel DuGoff of Ddugoff, Tim Joo and Dan Joo of Haerfest, Jason Alkire and Julie Alkire of Haus Alkire, Ji Oh, Katie deGuzman and Michael Miller of K/ller Collection, Thaddeus O’Neil, and Molly Yestadt of Yestadt Millinery. [80]
The Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI) is an investment fund to help revitalize New York City's garment industry. The program offers matching financial grants to New York City's fashion manufacturing production facilities.
In March 2018, the CFDA and NYCA announced that the following seven production facilities would receive a combined total of $480,000 in the fifth round of FMI grants: Atelier Amelia, Sunrise Studio, In Style USA, Mudo Fashion, New York Embroidery Studio, Season Wash, and Werkstatt. [81]
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer® (FTBC), a charitable initiative of the CFDA/CFDA Foundation, seeks to raise public awareness and funds for the breast cancer cause.
The Fashion Targets Breast Cancer name and symbol were created by Ralph Lauren and subsequently entrusted to the CFDA Foundation. FTBC was first presented in the U.S. in the spring of 1994 during New York Fashion Week, and was formally launched in September 1994 at a special White House reception hosted by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. During this initial campaign, 400,000 FTBC shirts were sold, raising $2 million to benefit the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Health at the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center. [82] This center was chosen as beneficiary at Ralph Lauren's request, in memory of his friend Nina Hyde, the former fashion editor of The Washington Post , who died of breast cancer in 1990.
Since 2011, the council has led an annual campaign to promote the initiative and partners with well known fashion icons. In 2017, Fabletics partnered with Fashion Targets Breast Cancer to produce an activewear collection. A portion of all sales for the collection would be donated to target breast cancer screening and treatment. [83] [84]
To date, nearly $50 million has been granted to breast cancer charities worldwide from FTBC campaigns. [85] CFDA Members have designed special FTBC branded or inspired merchandise, which was either sold or auctioned over the course of the campaign.
The CFDA scholarship program was created to award annual merit-based scholarship grants to students who study in a four-year, full-time college level design program. It has awarded $1,399,250 to students. [86] The Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship Award, the Liz Claiborne Design Scholarship Award, and the CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship Award in partnership with Target selected scholars from one of the CFDA's 20 participating design schools and donated $25,000 towards tuition and educational expenses. The awards are based solely on merit and judged by a panel of industry experts.
Notable CFDA Members include: [87]
The CFDA has published the following books, listed in order by publish date:
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his collection of rare automobiles, some of which have been displayed in museum exhibits. He stepped down as CEO of the company in September 2015 but remains executive chairman and chief creative officer. As of April 2024, his net worth was estimated at US$8.8 billion.
Proenza Schouler is a womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. Based in New York City, Proenza Schouler is derived from maiden names of the two designers' mothers: Proenza is the maiden name of Hernandez's mother, and Schouler is the maiden name of McCollough's mother.
Tory Burch is an American fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She is the Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of her own brand, Tory Burch LLC. She was listed as the 88th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2020.
Alexander Wang is an American fashion designer. Wang launched his eponymous fashion brand in 2005 and came to prominence after being awarded the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2008. He is known for his urban-inspired designs and use of black.
Rag & Bone is an American fashion label helmed by Marcus Wainwright, originally from England. The brand is sold in more than 700 shops around the world, as well as in Rag & Bone retail stores. Wainwright, who cofounded the brand with Nathan Bogle in 2002, stepped down as chief brand officer in July 2023. The brand's design oversight is now shared between Jennie McCormick and Kyle Sweeney.
Simon James Spurr is a British fashion designer based in New York City. He is the creative director and designer of shoe label March NYC.
Haus Alkire is an American fashion label headed by design partners Julie Alkire and Jason Alkire. Both the Alkires are members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Established in 2012, the line is made in New York City.
Tim Weiland, popularly known as Timo Weiland, is an American fashion designer, disc jockey and entrepreneur, as well as the co-founder and creative director of the Timo Weiland brand.
Timo Weiland is a fashion line for men and women designed by Tim Weiland, Donna Kang and Alan Eckstein. Based in the Garment District of New York City, Timo Weiland started as a neckwear collection and evolved into a full-range womenswear and menswear designer clothing line.
Jason Alkire is an American fashion designer and partner of the Haus Alkire fashion label. His partner and wife is Julie Alkire, also known as Julie Haus. The first public season of the New York made women's collection was Fall 2012.
Todd Snyder is an American fashion designer based in New York City. He founded his eponymous fashion label in 2011, and has been called "the most influential menswear designer of his generation" by GQ. The brand was acquired by American Eagle Outfitters in 2015, and reports over $100 million in annual sales revenue. Todd Snyder is also the Creative Director of American heritage brand Woolrich's Black Label Collection.
Alessandro Michele is an Italian fashion designer and creative director of Valentino. He grew to international recognition as the creative director of Gucci, the Italian fashion luxury house where he worked from 2002 to 2022. Known for his maximalist designs, Alessandro Michele revived Gucci's popularity, most notably with a Geek-Chic aesthetic. He had been responsible for all of Gucci's collections and global brand image from January 2015 until he stepped down from the role in November 2022.
Paul Andrew is an English fashion designer. He launched his eponymous women's footwear line in September 2012.
Maria Grazia Chiuri is an Italian fashion designer. After stints working at Fendi and Valentino, Chiuri was named creative director at Dior in 2016.
Virgil Abloh was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. He began his own line of luxury streetwear clothing, Pyrex Vision, in 2012, and became the chief executive officer of the Milan-based label Off-White, a fashion house he founded in 2013. Abloh was also the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection beginning in 2018, and was given increased creative responsibilities across the LVMH brand in early 2021.
Haerfest is a leather accessories brand that primarily makes tailored leather bags. Established by brothers Tim and Dan Joo, the company makes leather goods for a global market.
Batsheva Hay is an American fashion designer.
Elena Velez is an American fashion designer and heterodox creative from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, based in New York City. Her work is known for its non traditional synthesis of metalsmith and high fashion.
Aurora James is a Canadian creative director, activist, and fashion designer. In 2013, she founded the fashion label Brother Vellies, with the goal of promoting traditional African design practices and techniques. In 2020, James founded the 15 Percent Pledge as a non-profit organization to support Black-owned businesses. Her memoir Wildflower was released in 2023.
Andrew Jun O Kwon is a Korean-American fashion designer based in New York, NY. He founded his label, ANDREW KWON, which focuses on demi-couture bridal and eveningwear.
CFDA Awards. It all started back in 1980, and now, almost 40 years later, the show is still going strong.