Accompanying the start of NYFW, the CFDA has announced the winners of its Fashion Awards. As every year, the Designers Council of America has presented its awards but, this time, the face-to-face gala was replaced by a digital event through the Runway360 platform.

The event was originally scheduled for June 8 but had to be postponed until last night due to the current coronavirus pandemic.

The ceremony began with a video from current council president Tom Ford acknowledging the impossibility of holding the ceremony in person: “Since 1981, the CFDA Fashion Awards have recognized the best in fashion creativity. But 2020 has been anything but typical, and we decided to forgo the in-person event and instead announce the winners here today at the start of New York Fashion Week. During this year, we’ve decided to focus exclusively on our nominated designers.

Although this year’s nominees were mostly white, three black designers – Kerby Jean-Raymond de Pyer Moss, Telfar Clemens de Telfar and Christopher John Rogers – managed to win a prestigious award.

CFDA 2020 Fashion Awards Nominees

American Womenswear Designer of the Year
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, The Row
Brandon Maxwell
Gabriela Hearst – WINNER
Marc Jacobs
Tom Ford

American Menswear Designer of the Year
Emily Adams Bode, Bode
Kerby Jean-Raymond, Pyer Moss – WINNER
Todd Snyder
Thom Browne
Tom Ford

American Accessories Designer of the Year
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, The Row
Gabriela Hearst
Stuart Vevers, Coach
Jennifer Fisher, Jennifer Fisher Jewelry
Telfar Clemens, Telfar – WINNER

American Emerging Designer of the Year
Christopher John Rogers – WINNER
Kenneth Nicholson
Peter Do
Reese Cooper
Sarah Staudinger and George Augusto

Global Women’s Designer of the Year
Daniel Lee, Bottega Veneta
Dries Van Noten
Miuccia Prada, Prada
Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino – WINNER
Rick Owens

Global Men’s Designer of the Year
Craig Green
Dries Van Noten
Jonathan Anderson, Loewe
Kim Jones, Dior – WINNER
Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton