2011 CFDA FASHION AWARDS Nominees & Honorees Announcement Hosted by SWAROVSKI

Photos courtesy of Billy Farrell

2011 CFDA FASHION AWARDS Nominees & Honorees Announcement Hosted by SWAROVSKI

The Council of Fashion Designers of America announced the nominees and honorees for the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards. Nadja Swarovski and Diane von Furstenberg hosted the event at the designer’s studio in the Meatpacking District of NYC. This is the 10^th consecutive year Swarovski has sponsored the event.

This year’s nominees reflect the depth of accomplishment of American fashion and acknowledge the pervasive influence that a new generation of talent is having on the industry while also celebrating the masters of design.

“This year, Swarovski is honored to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our partnership with the CFDA Fashion Awards,” said Nadja Swarovski, Vice President of International Communications & Creative Director. “We are excited for each of this year’s stellar nominees; the group includes such diverse and extraordinary talent. We are particularly proud of each designer nominated for a Swarovski Award. They are the perfect example of emerging American design talent and have displayed a keen sense for the future of fashion.”

The Nominees

Womenswear Designer of the Year Award : Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs

The Menswear Designer of the Year Award : Michael Bastian, Patrik Ervell, and Simon Spurr

Accessory Designer of the Year Award : Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Reed Krakoff

Swarovski Award for Womenswear : Joseph Altuzarra, Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen, and Prabal Gurung

The Swarovski Award for Menswear : Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, and Robert Geller

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design : Alejandro Ingelmo, Eddie Borgo, Jason Wu, and Pamela Love.

The Swarovski Award recipients in each category will receive generous financial support from Swarovski as well as exposure to the company’s vast and innovative Swarovski crystal resources.

In addition to announcing the nominees, the CFDA also named the honorary awards winners.

This year, Marc Jacobs was presented with The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the fiercely independent designer who was a four-time winner of the CFDA Fashion Award.

The CFDA Board of Directors commemorated Arthur Elgort with special tribute in honor of his impact on photography and fashion.

Lady Gaga, the undeniable musical talent and fashion revolutionary, was this year’s Fashion Icon Award recipient.

The Media Award, given in honor of Eugenia Sheppard, the influential journalist who revolutionized fashion reporting with her reports in the New York City Herald Tribune, will be given to Hilary Alexander of The Telegraph.

In honor of CFDA founder Eleanor Lambert who is widely credited with putting American fashion on the map, the Founders Award went to Hal Rubenstein of In Style.

The International Award went to Phoebe Philo for Celine for her outstanding creative contribution to the world of fashion.

“There is no other event that puts the spotlight on American fashion like The CFDA Fashion Awards,” said Steven Kolb, CFDA executive director. “We look forward to once again honoring the best and brightest talent working today. Winning a CFDA Fashion Award is the highest and one of the most coveted honors one can receive in our industry. All of this is made possible by the long-time support of Swarovski, who we are pleased to be celebrating our tenth anniversary with this year. Their support and involvement with the Awards over the years has been invaluable.”

Nominations for each award category are submitted by the CFDA Fashion Awards Selection Committee, made up of the 370+ members of the CFDA, along with top fashion retailers, journalists, and stylists. The nominees, as well as recipients of the honorary awards, were confirmed yesterday at a meeting of the CFDA Board of Directors.

The final votes will be tabulated by Ernst & Young LLP, the official accounting firm of the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards.

The 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards winners will be announced at the annual gala, generously underwritten by Swarovski, on June 6 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.

The 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards will be produced by KCD. Collateral will be art directed by Laird + Partners, with photography by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

Lexus is the official automotive sponsor of the Awards.