2012 CFDA award winners announced

05 Jun '12

5 min read

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) paid tribute to the winners and honorees of the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards and commemorated the organization's 50th anniversary at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. Saturday Night Live's head writer and anchor Seth Meyers was the host for the evening.

The evening's Womenswear Designer of the Year honors went to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen for The Row, presented by Jessica Chastain. The award for Menswear Designer of the Year was presented by Matt Bomer to Billy Reid.

Reed Krakoff took home the Accessory Designer of the Year Award, presented by Jessica Pare. For the eleventh year in a row, the evening was generously underwritten by Swarovski.

For the first time in its history, the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards will be digitally broadcast on Tuesday, June 5th, at noon, only on Style.com. The digital broadcast is sponsored by Lexus.

"This year's awards were particularly special," said CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg. "We honored the best talent working in American fashion today and celebrated CFDA's 50th Anniversary and the impact of our family of designers."

"A CFDA Fashion Award is one of the most coveted awards in our industry," said CFDA CEO Steven Kolb. "This annual event is the one night we come together to celebrate our own."

"Swarovski is thrilled to be a part of such an incredible evening honoring the best in American fashion and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the CFDA. We are proud to support all of the Swarovski Award nominees, and look forward to watching a brilliant future unfold for each of the winners," said Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Executive Board, Swarovski.

Award Winners & Honorees:
Lily Collins presented the three Swarovski Awards, which honor and recognize emerging talent. The Swarovski Award for Womenswear was given to Joseph Altuzarra. The Swarovski Award for Menswear was presented to Phillip Lim. The Swarovski Award for Accessory Design went to Tabitha Simmons. Recipients in each category will receive generous financial support from the company as well as exposure to the company's vast and innovative crystal products and applications for fashion.

The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Tommy Hilfiger by Anna Wintour for his consistent, creative influence on fashion.

The Founder's Award, established in memory of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert was given to Andrew Rosen by Kenneth Cole.

The Media Award for excellence in journalism, originally created in honor of Eugenia Sheppard, was presented to digital journalists Scott Schuman and Garance Dore by Pharrell Williams.

Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons was recognized with this year's International Award. Johnny Depp was given the Fashion Icon award. Both Kawakubo's and Depp's award were presented by director John Waters.

Program Highlights:
The opening of the CFDA FashionAwards featured a film directed by Zoe Cassavetes. The two-minute film paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the CFDA and its members. The film was followed by a live retrospective of five decades of impactful clothes designed by CFDA members.

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