The CFDA Awards, which is often likened to the Oscars for the fashion set, might still a month and a half away, but the 2017 nominees have already been revealed. Last night, the organization's chairwoman, Diane von Furstenberg, and president and CEO, Steven Kolb, shared this year's roster of honorees and nominees at a cocktail event in NYC.
This year's Womenswear Designer of the Year nominees are: The Row's Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen (the twins have won this category not once, but twice in the past five years); Marc Jacobs, who won last year; Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who've won the category three times; Joseph Altuzarra, who scored this award in 2014, and, last but certainly not least, Raf Simons for his eagerly-anticipated Calvin Klein debut.
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For Accessory Designer of the Year, the following talents are in the running: the Olsens, again, for The Row; Coach's Stuart Vevers; Mansur Gavriel's Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel; Irene Neuwirth, and Paul Andrew. Menswear Designer of the Year nominees are Thom Browne, Tim Coppens, Todd Snyder, and Robert Geller. The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent accolade is a first this year. It combines three previously-doled-out Swarovski Awards (for women's, men's, and accessories) into one category, and the nominees are Off-White's Virgil Abloh, Monse's Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia (who're also currently helming Oscar de la Renta), Sies Marjan's Sander Lak, Brock Collection's Laura Vassar and Kristopher Brock, and Gabriela Hearst.
Aside from the array of designers vying for a Trova (that's the CFDA Awards' statuette, FYI), who's getting honored this time around? The International Award, the decision for which was "absolutely unanimous," according to von Furstenberg, will go to Vetements' and Balenciaga's Demna Gvasalia. (DvF struggled a bit with the designer's name, like we all probably have, dubbing him "Demna whatever," noting, "I'll learn his name by the time of the Awards.") Other honorees include Rick Owens for the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award; Pat McGrath for the Founder's Award; and the late, great Franca Sozzani, longtime Vogue Italia editor-in-chief, for the Fashion Icon Award. Kenneth Cole will receive the inaugural Swarovski Award for Positive Change, notably for his boundary-pushing, statement-making campaigns.
A special category, the Board of Directors' Tribute award, was announced as well, and it's going to a powerful feminist trifecta: Gloria Steinem, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, and Janelle Monáe: "Many things are happening in this country, some we are less proud of than others, and these three women came out so strongly as a wonderful trio," von Furstenberg remarked.
The big event goes down on June 5th at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom, so stay tuned for the 2017 crop of winners.