The Biannual Membership Meeting: Reunited and It Feels So Good

MEMBER NEWS

The Biannual Membership Meeting: Reunited and It Feels So Good

December 5, 2024

Aldo Araujo

01 / 31

Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Chloe Gosselin, Marie Laffont

Wednesday evening marked the in-person return of the biannual CFDA membership meeting since 2019, and the spirits were high at Nine Orchard in New York City.

It was announced that Thom Browne would serve as Chairman of the Board for another two-year term, and that fellow CFDA members Aurora James, Prabal Gurung, Stacey Bendet Eisner and Maria Cornejo would also return to their posts. Rachel Scott of Diotima and Henry Zankov of Zankov were also formally introduced as the latest inducted members.

And while glasses clinked in toasts to long-time buddies and new friendships made, the room held space to define and remind each other the true meaning of what it means to be a CFDA member. A creative network of American design excellence and network of care.

01 / 05

Aldo Araujo, Narciso Rodriguez

The evening also featured a special conversation with Narciso Rodriguez and Aldo Araujo, CFDA’s senior marketing and communications manager. The discussion on the Cuban-American designer’s career touched upon his legacy as a consummate minimalist, setting the record as the first designer to ever receive back-to-back wins for Womenswear Designer of the Year at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2002 and 2003, and his perfume “For Her” as pillar of the fragrance industry.

On the topic of the art of friendship, the CFDA member also reflected on his collaborative relationships with the late milliner Albertus Swanepoel and Isabel Toledo, as well as his legacy being forever archived in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection by an image of him and the queen of salsa Celia Cruz the year she won he first Grammy award.

So, what’s next for Rodriguez? He will continue to make beautiful clothes in small batches and at his own pace, but the real focus will remain on his favorite job of all time: being a father.

CFDA Members

Membership

CFDA Board Chairman Thom Browne Reelected for Second Two-Year Term

Private Policy Celebrates Asian American & Pacific Islander Women Leaders

The Biannual Membership Meeting: Reunited and It Feels So Good

Previous

Next

Subscribe