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The Council of Fashion Designers of America has announced nominees and honorees for its 2026 awards, presented in partnership with Amazon Fashion for the fifth consecutive year and set to take place on Nov. 2 at the American Museum of Natural History. Keke Palmer will host the event.
Nominated for Womenswear Designer of the Year are Carolina Herrera’s Wes Gordon (his second consecutive nomination), two-time winner Catherine Holstein of Khaite, one-time recipient Michael Kors, two-time nominee Tory Burch and Diotima’s Rachel Scott, who won in 2024.
For the Menswear Designer of the Year award, nominees include are two-time nominee Todd Snyder; last year’s winner Thom Browne; two-time winner Willy Chavarria; Ralph Lauren, who remains the only designer to receive all of the CFDA’s highest honours; and 2013 winners Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School.
The Accessories Designer of the Year nominees are Ana Khouri, Luar’s Raul Lopez, Coach’s Stuart Vevers, Sophia Buhai and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen of The Row.
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Colleen Allen, Aubero’s Julian Louie and this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists Zane Li of Lii (who earned the 2026 Karl Lagerfeld Prize at the LVMH Prize last week), Julia Ferentinos of Juju Vera and Emily Dawn Long are nominated for Google American Emerging Designer of the Year.
Special awards at the ceremony will be bestowed upon Anthony Vaccarello of Saint Laurent, Tory Burch, photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Linda Fargo, Eva Chen and artist Susan Cianciolo.
Learn more:
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