The CFDA Board of Directors gathered nominees, honorees, and industry leaders for an intimate evening at Café Zaffri at The Twenty Two New York in anticipation of the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards presented by Amazon Fashion.
The evening, on October 8, commenced with cocktails followed by a seated dinner.
“What has always made American fashion so special is our individuality, our different voices, our different points of view, and our different ideas. And that’s what fashion is really all about,” said CFDA Board member Michael Kors.
“I remember how excited and thrilled I was to become a CFDA member, back in 1985. I was fortunate to meet visionary people like Dawn Mello from Bergdorf Goodman, who understood that nurturing talent and opening the doors for the next generation was essential to keeping American fashion moving forward and relevant.”
Each table brought together nominees, honorees, and Friends of the CFDA, whose generous patronage at the Leader level supports the organization and its annual Awards.
Michael Kors, Vera Wang, Joseph Altuzarra, Dao-Yi Chow, Aurora James, and Stan Herman represented the board.
The evening welcomed an esteemed group of 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards nominees, including Michael Kors, Rachel Scott, and Wes Gordon, who are nominees in the American Womenswear Designer of the Year category; Willy Chavarria and Public School’s Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow, nominated for American Menswear Designer of the Year; Ana Khouri for American Accessory Designer of the Year, and Colleen Allen, Emily Dawn Long, Julia Ferentinos, Julian Louie, and Zane Li for Emerging Designer of the Year.
Linda Fargo, this year’s recipient of the Founder’s Award in honor of Eleanor Lambert, was joined by Friends of the CFDA Dr. Macrene Alexiades, Yao King, Jennifer JJ Lee, Jamie Singer Soros, and Cristina Wallach. Also in attendance were Lindsay Peoples, Sam Hine, José Criales-Unzueta, Jason Schupbach, Lance LePere, David Rivera, and David Thielebeule.
The gathering offered a moment to celebrate the creativity, community, and individuals shaping American fashion ahead of the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards. Hosted by Keke Palmer, the ceremony will take place on November 2 at the American Museum of Natural History.
Hero Image: Willy Chavarria, Linda Fargo, Michael Kors
Hildy Kuryk, Vera Wang, Aurora James, Macrene Alexiades
Jennifer Lee, Dr. Macrene Alexiades
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