The 2020 CFDA Awards Nominees Include The Designer Behind This Cult-Favorite Brand

In 2020, the usual flow of the fashion industry was disrupted due to the global pandemic. Star-studded red carpets like the Met Gala and Cannes Film Festival were canceled, and fashion weeks moved online. But despite the limiting circumstances of Covid-19, the recent ingenuity has proven that fashion has found its way forward. Earlier this year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced that its awards ceremony, like other major fashion events, was postponed indefinitely. But, now, the CFDA Awards list of 2020 nominees has been released, with a digital award ceremony to follow.

The CFDA is still determined to celebrate the industry’s best designers — even if winners won't be able to walk up to the podium. “In this time of unprecedented challenge and change for our industry, we feel very strongly that it is important to recognize the nominees representing the best of fashion creativity,” CFDA Chairman and nominee Tom Ford shared in a statement. The designer went on to share that the CFDA plans to return to its traditional gatherings in 2021.

The CFDA’s 2020 nominees include industry veterans like The Row’s Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen — who have already won four CFDA awards and are nominated for American Womenswear Designers of the Year as well as American Accessories Designer of the Year — as well as newer names like Emily Adams Bode, who is nominated for American Menswear Designer of the Year for her eponymous label Bode. The Council will also be highlighting emerging designers like Christopher John Rogers (a look from his Fall 2020 collection below), Telfar Clemens for Telfar, and Sarah Staudinger and George of Augusto of the cult-favorite brand STAUD.

In addition to the categories focusing on American designers and brands, the CFDA is adding two new categories: Global Women’s Designer of the Year and Global Men’s Designer of the Year. These awards will celebrate the creative directors behind major labels like Daniel Lee for Bottega Veneta’s womenswear and Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton’s menswear.

Steven Kolb — the CFDA’s president and chief executive officer — also shared that the organization will be redirecting efforts typically used for its in-person event to “next generation scholarships and making important changes to bring racial equity to the fashion industry.” This news comes after the CFDA announced its inclusivity initiative, a commitment to create lasting change for racial diversity in the industry.

Scroll down to see the full list of nominees for the 2020 CFDA Awards. Winners will be announced on the CFDA website and social channels on Sept. 14.

American Womenswear Designer of the Year

Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row

Brandon Maxwell

Gabriela Hearst

Marc Jacobs

Tom Ford

American Menswear Designer of the Year

Emily Adams Bode for Bode

Kerby Jean-Raymond for Pyer Moss

Thom Browne

Todd Snyder

Tom Ford

American Accessories Designer of the Year

Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row

Gabriela Hearst

Jennifer Fisher for Jennifer Fisher Jewelry

Stuart Vevers for Coach

Telfar Clemens for Telfar

American Emerging Designer of the Year

Christopher John Rogers

Kenneth Nicholson

Peter Do

Reese Cooper

Sarah Staudinger and George Augusto for STAUD

Global Women's Designer of the Year

Daniel Lee for Bottega Veneta

Dries Van Noten

Miuccia Prada for Prada

Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino

Rick Owens

Global Men's Designer of the Year

Craig Green

Dries Van Noten

Jonathan Anderson for Loewe

Kim Jones for Dior

Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton