At a glance
- The winners: on 2 November 2026 in New York, the CFDA honoured Ralph Lauren (menswear), Rachel Scott for Diotima (womenswear), Ana Khouri (accessories) and Colleen Allen (emerging designer).
- International: Anthony Vaccarello receives International Designer of the Year for Saint Laurent.
- Repeat winners: Ralph Lauren wins a year after his 2025 womenswear award, and Rachel Scott regains the title she took in 2024.
- The first: Ana Khouri takes her first accessories award, in a category that also featured The Row and Coach.
- The honours: architect Peter Marino is Fashion Icon, Gap Inc. receives the Innovation Award and Tory Burch the Positive Change Award.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America handed out its awards on 2 November 2026 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Two past winners confirmed their standing, a jeweller joined the honours list and a young Brooklyn designer took the emerging title. Among the houses, Saint Laurent left with the international award, and the architect of many luxury flagships with the Fashion Icon title.
| Ceremony | 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards, presented by Amazon Fashion |
| Date and venue | 2 November 2026, American Museum of Natural History, New York |
| Menswear | Ralph Lauren |
| Womenswear | Rachel Scott for Diotima |
| Accessories | Ana Khouri |
| Emerging designer | Colleen Allen |
| International | Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent |
| Fashion Icon | Peter Marino |
| Innovation | Gap Inc. |
| Positive Change | Tory Burch |
| Lifetime (Geoffrey Beene) | Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin |
Ralph Lauren: womenswear, then menswear
Ralph Lauren was named American Menswear Designer of the Year. The award comes a year after his 2025 womenswear title, the CFDA points out, praising a world built over more than five decades. The room gave him a standing ovation. He beat Thom Browne, Todd Snyder, Willy Chavarria and the duo Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School New York.
The group’s luxury offer includes Ralph Lauren Collection and Purple Label, the latter with hand-tailored suits and made-to-measure in the Savile Row tradition. The house ranks 8th in the third-quarter Lyst Index, three places behind Saint Laurent.
Diotima: a second title for Rachel Scott
Rachel Scott won the womenswear award for Diotima, her second win in the category after 2024. The CFDA describes a label that blends Jamaican craft, sensuality and sophisticated tailoring. Rachel Scott is also creative director of Proenza Schouler, but the award is for Diotima. She beat Catherine Holstein of Khaite, Michael Kors, Tory Burch and Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera. On stage, she said she felt “extremely lucky and extremely responsible”.
Ana Khouri, a sculptor among the accessories
New York-based Ana Khouri won her first American Accessory Designer of the Year award, against The Row, Luar, Sophie Buhai and Coach. The CFDA speaks of sculptural creations, between fine jewellery and contemporary art.
Her official website traces the path: fine arts studies with a focus on sculpture, then jewellery from 2002, and a New York salon opened in 2013. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are shown there, while her limited editions are reserved for The Row stores. The jeweller also reports three consecutive CFDA nominations and a GEM Award for High Jewelry Excellence in 2026.
Colleen Allen: new talent from Brooklyn
The emerging designer award, backed by Google, went to Brooklyn-based Colleen Allen. The CFDA praises imaginative clothes, informed by history and a romantic sensibility. She beat Emily Dawn Long, Julia Ferentinos of Juju Vera, Julian Louie of Aubero and Zane Li of Lii.
Saint Laurent, the CFDA’s international award
Anthony Vaccarello received International Designer of the Year for Saint Laurent. Creative director since 2016, he leads design at a house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. Part of Kering since 1999, it has more than 300 stores, according to the group. Our third-quarter review noted a recovery there. Accepting the award, the designer defended fashion that unsettles: “Sometimes it should make you uncomfortable and it’s fine. Not everything needs to be explained.”
Peter Marino, an architect named Fashion Icon
The title of 2026 Fashion Icon goes to an architect. Peter Marino’s New York firm, founded in 1978, has designed spaces for Armani, Bulgari, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Zegna. Among his recent projects, the CFDA cites the Dior flagships in Milan, Beverly Hills and New York, the Chanel buildings in San Diego and Los Angeles, and the Tiffany & Co. flagships in Milan and New York.
Gap Inc. and Tory Burch among the other honourees
Gap Inc., founded in 1969 in San Francisco and owner of Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta, receives the fifth Innovation Award presented by Amazon Fashion. Tory Burch receives the Positive Change Award: her foundation has helped 5,600 women entrepreneurs access 100 million dollars in low-interest loans, with Bank of America. Linda Fargo, with 30 years at Bergdorf Goodman, receives the Founder’s Award in honor of Eleanor Lambert. Photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin are honoured for lifetime achievement, Eva Chen with the Media Award and Susan Cianciolo with the Board of Directors’ Tribute.
Information verified on 5 November 2026. Sources: CFDA winners list, CFDA report, CFDA Fashion Awards page, Kering, Ana Khouri, Ralph Lauren Corporation.
