On June 3, 2019, the CFDA (Council for Fashion Designers of America, Inc.) held their annual awards ceremony which recognizes and pays tribute to men’s and women’s fashion designers each year. This year, some of the names were expected as they are repeat winners and have built a name for themselves in the industry, and others were new to the list of honorees. Here is a quick look at this year’s awards in a few categories to get a glimpse at the artistry behind those award winning designers.

Jennifer Lopez – Fashion Icon Award
While credited for amazing accomplishments in her musical career, Jennifer Lopez has wowed audiences with her flair for fashion. This year, the industry recognized her for her fashion sense with the coveted Fashion Icon Award and she is featured wearing a two piece fire engine red gown with a long, flowing train.

Emily Adams Bode for Bode – Emerging Designer of the Year
Emily says that her artistry is based on a lifestyle and her designs are truly inspired by great artists of the world. Imagine wearing a pair of Bode corduroy pants with Picasso plates featured in the design. Can you imagine being an emerging artist/designer sitting at a table with a JUKI sewing machine and an imagination that just doesn’t quit? That’s what it must be like for Emily, and like all other fashion designers just starting out, many aspiring designers look to companies like GoldStar Tools for JUKI machines that are top-shelf industrial quality but at a fraction of the cost of many name brands. Until you’ve made it in the big league, quality tools at reduced costs enable you to create your way to the top.

Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row – Accessory Designer of the Year
Here’s another name (or two!) that should come as no surprise. Although the Olsen twins, like Lopez, got their start and notoriety in the world of entertainment, they are now designers in their own right. The world of fashion has paid special tribute to accessory designers in recent years as accessories are becoming more and more trendy as time passes. While there was a time in years gone by when no self-respecting woman would leave the house without a hat, purse, gloves and scarves, those days dwindled in the latter part of the last century and into the beginning of the current millennium. Now accessories, big, bold and beautiful, make or break an outfit, and so this is a fitting (no pun intended) award in the world of fashion.

So, there you have a few of this year’s award winners and of course you would expect that seasoned designers like Marc Jacob took home the trophy in menswear as well. Even so, there is artistry in fashion designs and with so many homespun artists recognized in the industry, there is hope yet for aspiring artists and designers. Get out that JUKI and start creating. Who knows? You might be an honorable mention in next year’s ceremony. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true!