Every time the CFDA names a new chairman, a new location is selected for the annual CFDA Awards. Tonight, the fashion set headed uptown to the Museum of Natural History to usher in Thom Browne’s two-year term in the role, and find out which one of this year’s honorees will take home the coveted Trova statue.
Hosted by Anne Hathaway, the night kicked off with Willy Chavarria being named American Menswear Designer of the Year. Upon accepting the award, the designer jokingly called the fashion industry “so extreme and so unforgiving” before telling the crowd of attendees—including Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams, who was honored as the council’s Fashion Icon—that he creates clothes in order to “lift people up and incorporate love into the world.” After making an honest request for more empathy in fashion and in life, he closed by saying that “we need to be good to one another.”
The night’s host, Anne Hathaway.
Next, after a brief blunder where Maria Cornejo’s highlight reel was shown onscreen instead of her own work, Mara Hoffman accepted the Environmental Sustainability Award, describing her “discomfort of the industry” and its waste problem as a “catalyst for transformation.” Cornejo, in a moving speech through tears, dedicated her Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award to “the innocent children who are voiceless and will not have a lifetime.” On a lighter note, Demi Moore followed, introducing her friend and colleague Gwyneth Paltrow, who scooped up the Amazon Innovation Award. “You made a candle that smells like a vagina!” Moore exclaimed.
Below, we compiled the full list of winners from the 2023 CFDA Awards.
American Womenswear Designer of the Year
Catherine Holstein, Khaite
American Menswear Designer of the Year
Willy Chavarria
American Accessory Designer of the Year
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, The Row
Shop With Google American Emerging Designer of the Year
Rachel Scott, Diotima
Board of Directors Tribute
Vera Wang
Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert
Domenico De Sole
Amazon Innovation Award
Gwyneth Paltrow, Goop
Fashion Icon Award
Serena Williams
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award
Maria Cornejo
Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard
Alina Cho
Environmental Sustainability Award
Mara Hoffman
International Designer of the Year
Jonathan Anderson, JW Anderson and Loewe
Digital Director
Claire Stern is the Digital Director of ELLE.com. Previously, she was Deputy Editor of ELLE.com. Her interests include fashion, food, travel, music, Peloton, and The Hills—not necessarily in that order. She used to have a Harriet the Spy notebook and isn’t ashamed to admit it.
