American fashion’s biggest night now has its cast list. On September 9, the eve of the official New York Fashion Week schedule, the Council of Fashion Designers of America revealed the nominees and honorees for the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards presented by Amazon Fashion. The ceremony will be held on Monday, November 2, at the American Museum of Natural History, and the CFDA says it will be hosted by Keke Palmer.
The designer categories
The shortlists read as a portrait of American fashion at several stages of a career, from founders of global houses to emerging names.
- American Womenswear Designer of the Year: Catherine Holstein (Khaite), Michael Kors, Rachel Scott (Diotima), Tory Burch and Wes Gordon (Carolina Herrera).
- American Menswear Designer of the Year: Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne (Public School New York), Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, Todd Snyder and Willy Chavarria.
- American Accessory Designer of the Year: Ana Khouri, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (The Row), Raul Lopez (Luar), Sophie Buhai and Stuart Vevers (Coach).
- Google American Emerging Designer of the Year: Colleen Allen, Emily Dawn Long, Julia Ferentinos (Juju Vera), Julian Louie (Aubero) and Zane Li (Lii).
Several nominees arrive with momentum from the runway calendar that just ended. Khaite, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Carolina Herrera and Ralph Lauren all appear on the CFDA’s September schedule, and Thom Browne was scheduled to close the official week on September 15.
The honorees
Alongside the competitive categories, the CFDA announced its special awards:
- Positive Change Award: Tory Burch
- Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
- International Designer of the Year: Anthony Vaccarello of Saint Laurent
- Media Award in honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Eva Chen
- Founder’s Award in honor of Eleanor Lambert: Linda Fargo
- Isabel Toledo Board of Directors’ Tribute: Susan Cianciolo
Read together, the honors reach beyond the design studio: the lifetime award goes to a photography partnership and the media award to Eva Chen, a signal that the CFDA’s idea of who shapes American style includes the people who picture it and broadcast it.
How the winners are chosen
According to the CFDA, nominees and winners are determined by the CFDA Fashion Awards Guild, “an invitation-only voting body made up of influential members of the fashion industry, including CFDA member designers, fashion editors and journalists, retail executives, stylists, influencers and other industry professionals.” Voting is scheduled for October 7 to 21.
“This year feels especially meaningful as we celebrate the extraordinary breadth of American creativity and its influence on culture around the world.” — Steven Kolb, CEO and President, CFDA, in the announcement
With a museum setting, a well-known host and a nominee list that runs from Ralph Lauren to the emerging category, the November ceremony is positioned as the social close of American fashion’s year. The results will not be known until the night itself.
See all sources
- The Nominees & Honorees of the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards Presented by Amazon Fashion, CFDA, 2026-09-09
- Events, CFDA, 2026-09-15
- View the Preliminary September 2026 Official NYFW Schedule, CFDA, 2026-07-01
Lead image: illustrative photo by FOTOGRAFÍA EDITORIAL on Unsplash.
