Joseph Altuzarra wins CFDA Fashion Award

Joseph Altuzarra, Public School’s Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow and The Row’s Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen were all honoured at this year’s Council of Fashion Designers of America 2014 Fashion Awards. The evening’s top womenswear design honours went to Joseph Altuzarra for Altuzarra,

he took the Womenswear Designer of the Year accolade beating off competition from Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang. While Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne for Public School took home the Menswear Designer of the Year award, a strong category featuring Thom Browne and Rag & Bone's Marcus Wainwright and David Neville.

Both Altuzarra and Public School were previous winners of Swarovski’s emerging design talent accolade, Altuzarra winning the womenswear honour in 2012 and Chow and Osborne for menswear in 2013. This year those honours went to Creatures of the Wind’s Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters in womenswear, Tim Coppens for menswear, and Irene Neuwirth won the accessory design award.

The Olsen twins, who previously won the womenswear designer of the year title in 2012, were awarded the Accessories Designer of the Year award for The Row. Tom Ford was honoured with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award for his “consistent, creative influence on fashion”, while the International Award went to Raf Simons for Dior.

CFDA Fashion Awards honours Altuzarra, The Row, Public School and Rihanna

There were also accolades for Bethann Hardison who received the Founder's Award in honour of Eleanor Lambert for her efforts to promote racial diversity in the fashion industry, which was accompanied with a live tribute featuring sixteen models of colour in Diane von Furstenberg dresses, and the Media Award in honour of Eugenia Sheppard which is given for excellence in journalism, was presented to Paul Cavaco.

Rihanna was also honoured, the singer was presented with the Fashion Icon award by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour who praised the musician for her ability to tell “captivating stories through the boldness and beauty of clothes”. The star definitely made a fashion statement to collect her award, wearing a sheer custom Adam Selman gown embellished with more than 216,000 Swarovski crystals.

Commenting on the awards, CFDA CEO Steven Kolb said: "The CFDA believes in designers at every stage of their career. Last night we recognized a broad range of talent and influence from student scholarship winners and emerging talent to industry icons."

Images: Joseph Altuzarra – CFDA and Rihanna - Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc.com