Diane von Furstenberg, President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), hosted an event at her design studio last night in NYC to announce the nominees, honorees and host for the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards.
Scheduled to take place on June 4th at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live will host the event. This year the CFDA is celebrating 50 years of promoting American fashion and honoring the most talented and influential individuals in the fashion industry.
Skimming through the nominees and honorees, we were pleased to see the names listed claimed some well-earned spots. We were a bit perplexed by the Media Award going to Scott Schuman and Garance Doré in honor of Eugenia Sheppard as they have made a name for themselves in the fashion world tag-team style; but they are still green compared to previous nominees and Sheppard who is known as one of the most influential fashion writers of her time. Bloggers and professional journalists may or may not agree but the ongoing debate on street bloggers gone commercial continues beyond this announcement.
Another surprise (a good one) on the list – Johnny Depp. He’s the “cool guy” in Hollywood and he has that “I’m an artist” swagger that earned him the spot as the first male to receive the Fashion Icon Award.
Regardless of whether or not we follow the logic behind the choices, congratulations are in order and the remainder of the list satiated our expectations.
Womenswear Designer of the Year Award Nominees
- Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row
- Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler
- Marc Jacobs
Menswear Designer of the Year Nominees
- Billy Reid
- Patrik Ervell
- Simon Spurr
Accessory Designer of the Year Award Nominees
- Alexander Wang
- Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler
- Reed Krakoff
Swarovski Award for Womenswear Nominees
- Chris Peters & Shane Gabier for Creatures of the Wind
- Joseph Altuzarra
- Max Osterweis & Erin Beatty for Suno
Swarovski Award for Menswear Nominees
- Antonio Azzuolo
- Phillip Lim
- Todd Snyder
Swarovski Award for Accessory Design Nominees
- Irene Neuwirth
- Pamela Love
- Tabitha Simmons
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award
- Tommy Hilfiger
The Founders Award
- Andrew Rosen
The International Award
- Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons
Update: Although Simon Spurr stepped down from his role as creative director at his eponymous label, he is still eligible for the Menswear Designer of the Year award. According to the CFDA, his nomination is based on the work from his last two seasons.
