Known as the Oscars of the fashion industry, the 2011 Council of Fashion Designers of America announced the nominees for the CFDA Fashion Awards last week. Winners will be announced at the award ceremony, scheduled for June 6.

With superlatives ranging from Womenswear Designer of the Year to the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, nominees seem to be both skewed to the younger generation of designers and to the ‘celebrities’ of fashion design.

This year’s contenders and awards are as follows:

• Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler for Womenswear Designer of the Year

• Michael Bastian, Patrick Ervell and Simon Spurr for Menswear Designer of the Year

• Alexander Wang, Reed Krakoff, and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler for Accessory Designer of the Year

• Prabal Gurung, Joseph Altuzarra, and Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear

• Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim and Robert Geller for the Swarovski Award for Menswear

• Alejandro Ingelmo, Eddie Brogo, Jason Wu and Pamela Love for the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design

• Marc Jacobs for the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award

• Arthur Elgort for the CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute

• Lady Gaga for the Fashion Icon Award

• The Daily Telegraph’s Hilary Alexander for the Media Award

• InStyle’s Hal Rubenstein for the Founder’s Award

• Phoebe Philo of Celine for the International Award

The CFDA Fashion Awards, a ceremony that prides itself on honoring the true and well-deserved talent within the fashion industry, determines its nominees via the CFDA Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee ‘is comprised of more than 300 CFDA members, along with a group of handpicked fashion retailers, journalists and stylists. … Nomination forms are sent out in February and returned in early March, then the nominees are selected based on the plurality voting system,’ wrote Leah Bourne on ThreadNY’s March 17 blog post. ‘Quite a bit of lobbying goes on behind the scenes in terms of who is nominated and eventually awarded a CFDA,’ continued Bourne.

The politics that surround the fashion industry are just like those of any other business, and in the case of young designers such as Alexander Wang, they succeeded in their lobbying tactics.

Wang has probably been the most nominated in this year’s awards, as well as in previous ones. He is currently in the running to win Womenswear Designer of the Year, Accessory Designer of the Year and the Swarovski Award for Menswear. Though Wang is a favorite among consumers, editors and buyers, his perennial reappearance among the CFDA’s nominees makes it seem as if there is no one else in this vast industry who deserves a mention.

I love Alexander Wang, but he has enough press and popularity already, and others need this CFDA opportunity more than he does. The same goes to more than half of the designers listed as nominees.

And speaking of opportunity, young designers, business moguls and ex-actresses Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are finally getting the fashion attention they deserve. True, the Olsen twins have always been in the spotlight when it comes to fashion and personal style, but they are ever so rarely appreciated for their fashion lines, The Row and Elizabeth and James. As are most actresses-turned-designers, there’s always been speculation on whether the Olsens are cut out for clothing design.

This year, however, their meticulousness for timeless form and function rightly earned them a nominated spot for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear. The Swarovski Awards specifically target young, emerging designers. Though I disagree that the Olsens would be categorized as emerging, the young moguls definitely deserve a CFDA win.

Whether the CFDA is trying to target a younger generation or not, the people listed as contenders definitely deserve this moment. To be so young and successful is rare in this industry, and it shows designers are just as hungry as ever to reach fashion fame.

Vicki Ho is a senior public relations major. Her column appears every Thursday, and she can be reached at vho@syr.edu.

 

Published on March 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm