The CFDA Fashion Awards in partnership with Swarovski returned to The Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday with an inspiring, endearing and empowering spirit.
Host Seth Meyers kicked off the show, noting how this was the second time he’s emceed the affair. “I also hosted this show in 2012 and can tell you that despite doing an excellent job it lead to no modeling work,” the Emmy Award-winning host of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” told a glamorous crowd that included Diane Kruger, Tory Burch, Olivia Dunn, Jenna Lyons, Michael Kors, and Priyanka Chopra. “Not a single job in the last five years,” he said. “And I would have said yes to anything. I could have been the ugliest brother in on one of those Tommy Hilfiger family shots. I mean, really, Ralph Lauren couldn’t throw me on a horse? And it didn’t have to be print. I would have been in a Rick Owens runway show. I’m happy to show my genitals.”
The evening had many memorable moments in addition to Meyers’ fantastic opening monologue.
Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim—the co-designers of Monse—were recognized with the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent. Jon Bon Jovi stepped out on stage to present Kenneth Cole with the inaugural Swarovski Award for Positive Change, acknowledging the decades in which Cole has set the standard for ethical business practices and his indispensable leadership through philanthropy, especially at times when it was needed the most– his involvement with HIV/AIDS being one of many causes Cole has pioneered.
“Together we are all instruments of positive and powerful change,” said Cole. “Not just for the industry but for the planet… and positive change is the pinnacle of excellent design. You feel its ripples long after trends and seasons have passed.”
Immigration has been one of the civic actions the CFDA has embraced this year, and on stage, CFDA Chairwoman Diane von Furstenberg addressed the audience with a pointed question: “How many of you are immigrants?” A large proportion of the room raised its hands and cheered, signifying just how much of a mosaic of different nationalities the fashion industry is. Von Furstenberg made that point just before Soviet Georgia-born Demna Gvasalia picked up his International Award, while Belgian Raf Simons won both Womenswear and Menswear Design of the Year. Nicole Kidman presented the Womenswear Award to Simons, who was temporarily starstruck. “I’m standing here next to somebody who has been so inspiring to me, gosh,” he said. “There are so many names I could mention to thank that I don’t even know where to start. [My partner and I] left our families and came here because we believe in the inspiration we find in America and in its people.”
Accessory Designer of the Year Stuart Vevers of Coach, a Brit transplat to New York, also noted the inspiration he draws from the American fashion community. “I wanted to thank everyone for giving me such a warm welcome,” he said.
Amber Valetta and Karen Elson brimmed with nostalgia when they presented their friend Pat McGrath with the Eleanor Lambert Founder’s Award. Both recalled how instrumental the make-up artist has been in their careers from day one—and how much joy she brings to the industry. “She always finds the humor in any situation first, and has an infinite capacity for making people laugh and feel loved,” Elson said. “There is a reason her nickname is Mother.”
Michelle Lamy presented her husband Rick Owens with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, simply reading the lyrics of “Black Is The Colour (Of My True Love’s Hair).” Owens accepted the award with a poignant message: “One of life’s fundamental needs is to be listened to. Thank you for allowing me to be heard.”
Anna Wintour fought back tears when presenting Fashion Icon Award posthumously to her longtime friend and colleague Franca Sozzani. There was hardly a dry eye in the house after a speech from Sozzani’s son Francesco Carrozzini, who had directed a film on his mother before she passed. “In the movie, at one point, Franca says, ‘If you have to dream, dream big, you can’t be stingy when you dream,’” he said. “We should all try and live up to that.”
The evening’s final award, the Board of Directors’ Tribute, electrified the room. It went to feminist Gloria Steinem, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, and super-entertainer Janelle Monáe —three women who lent their powerful voices to the historic Women’s March in January. “Now, there is more activism than I have ever seen in my lifetime,” Steinem said. “And maybe, just maybe, thanks to all of you in this room and billions more around the world who are woke, we are not the richest but we are the majority and we are woke and maybe we are about to be free.”
And with more than 350 fashion students in the house to absorb such impactful messages of hope and change, one thing is guaranteed—the future of fashion is bright.
