The exclusive fashion event saw a whole host of crowned designers this year, including the new winner of the renowned sustainability award.
ADVERTISEMENTThe 2019 edition of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers) Awards was as glamorous and as dazzling as ever, as stars flocked to the red carpet, dressed to impress. Often known as the ‘Oscars of Fashion’, the black tie event has been honouring designers since 1962 and is a noteworthy affair in the American fashion industry calendar. The exclusive event is invitation-only, involving a network of 500+ members of the CFDA, along with top fashion retailers, journalists, stylists and influencers. This year’s ceremony, now in its 38th year, is being held at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, for the second year in a row.
Who won the awards this year?
Winners this year include Brandon Maxwell as Womenswear Designer of the Year, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as Accessory Designer of the Year, Emily Adams as Emerging Designer of the Year and Rick Owens as Menswear Designer of the Year. The designers were well-deserving and beat established names such as Marc Jacobs, Heron Preston and Kate and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte.
When it comes to who was best dressed, we loved Gigi Hadid in her grey Louis Vuitton suit, Ciara in her off-the-shoulder Vera Wang and finally model Alek Wek in this stunning, midnight blue halterneck pictured below.
This year, the stand out Fashion Icon Award went to Jennifer Lopez, who appeared in a vibrant coral-red Ralph Lauren skirt and turtleneck, embroidered with over 40,000 crystals. In the past, this prestigious CFDA award has been presented to the likes of Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé and Rihanna.
Lopez, who recently teamed up with a sustainable activewear brand to make garments out of recycled bottles, said on the red carpet,
"I’ve loved fashion since I was little girl, growing up in the Bronx and to here and among all these designers, and to be honoured, is just a dream. I'm wearing Ralph Lauren, a fellow Bronx native."
What about the sustainability awards?
Every year, the CFDA awards issue a Positive Change Award, for steps towards a more sustainable fashion initiative. Eileen Fisher was crowned the winner, in honour of her commitment to sustainability and, more specifically, her pledge to use only organic cotton and linen by 2020. Fisher also accepted 1.2 million pounds of her used garments for upcycling and made an appeal to her compatriots to “rethink, reimagine, and reivent this amazing industry.”
Fisher told CNN,
"I'm very excited to speak to the group and to try to inspire them to think about positive change. It's so needed."
In 2018, the awards’ red carpet transformed into a ‘green’ carpet, made from eco-friendly, recycled materials. The green carpet was created using upcycled nylon waste materials so that it was lightweight, yet durable, for the CFDA attendees’ stilettos to walk down.
