This Monday the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) hosted their annual Fashion Awards, where they awarded Willy Chavarria with the title of Menswear Designer of the Year.
This year the awards were held in New York City’s American Museum of Natural History with fashion and film icon, Anne Hathaway as the host. The CFDA aims to recognize and honor the work of designers that “champion creativity and serve as ambassadors for American fashion.” CFDA chairman Thom Browne kicked off the award ceremony with an opening speech to welcome the attendees and honorees.
As the night progressed and awards were accepted, J Balvin and Greg Lauren took center stage to announce the winner of the American Menswear Designer of the Year award. With fellow nominees of Mike Amiri for AMIRI, Colm Dillane for KidSuper, Thom Browne for Thom Browne New York, and Teddy von Ranson for TEDDY VONRANSON, Willy Chavarria took home the award for his WILLY CHAVARRIA brand.
When accepting his award, Chavarria spoke to the audience to say: “We need to do whatever we can through our business, through our human content or our daily lives, to make others feel loved and empowered.” This sentiment has rang true through Chavarria’s work, as every collection he releases is clearly focused on the people he’s serving and the planet as opposed to the profit.
Some other notable winners of the evening included Catherine Holstein, who received the Womenswear Designer of the Year award for KHAITE; Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen, who were awarded American Accessory Designer of the Year for The Row; Serena Williams, who received the Fashion Icon Award; and Vera Wang, who was presented with the Board of Directors’ Tribute award.