Every year, the CFDA does two things simultaneously: reward the work that has already defined the season and signal what the industry considers worth paying attention to going forward. The 2026 edition of the CFDA Fashion Awards does both, presenting a lineup that, on balance, feels authentically considered. There are the expected names, designers who have been in this conversation for years, and then there are the choices that make you sit up a little straighter and wonder what the room was thinking when the votes came in.
American fashion’s biggest night will take place on Monday, November 2, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, marking the fourth consecutive year at the Upper West Side institution. Keke Palmer will host. The CFDA Fashion Awards Guild, an invitation-only voting body of designers, editors, journalists, retail executives, stylists, and industry professionals, determines the nominees and winners across the competitive categories. Voting opens October 7 and closes October 21, 2026. Here is the full breakdown.
The 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards: Full Nominees and Honorees
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The 2026 nominees reflect the full range of what American fashion produces right now. Legacy houses sit alongside independent voices, and designers who have been building quietly for years find themselves in the same conversation as names that have influenced the industry for decades. Below are all nominees and honorees for the night.
American Womenswear Designer of the Year
Catherine Holstein for Khaite
Michael Kors
Rachel Scott for Diotima
Tory Burch
Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera
American Menswear Designer of the Year
Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne for Public School New York
Ralph Lauren
Thom Browne
Todd Snyder
Willy Chavarria
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American Accessory Designer of the Year
Ana Khouri
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen for The Row
Raul Lopez for Luar
Sophie Buhai
Stuart Vevers for Coach
Google American Emerging Designer of the Year
Colleen Allen
Emily Dawn Long
Julia Ferentinos for Juju Vera
Julian Louie for Aubero
Zane Li for Lii
The Honorees
International Designer of the Year: Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
Positive Change Award: Tory Burch
Founder’s Award in honor of Eleanor Lambert: Linda Fargo
Media Award in honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Eva Chen
Isabel Toledo Board of Directors’ Tribute: Susan Cianciolo
What to Watch For
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The womenswear category is the most open it has been in years. Catherine Holstein remains a strong frontrunner at Khaite, but Rachel Scott’s nomination for Diotima and Wes Gordon’s continued elevation of Carolina Herrera make this genuinely difficult to call. Tory Burch, already confirmed as the Positive Change Award recipient, would make history by taking a second honor that night.
In menswear, Ralph Lauren and Willy Chavarria represent two very different ideas of what American fashion can be. The return of Public School New York after nearly a decade away adds unpredictability to a category that has otherwise felt settled. In accessories, Coach’s momentum under Vevers is hard to argue against, though The Row and Luar make this far from a foregone conclusion.
Anthony Vaccarello’s recognition arrives amid speculation about his future at Saint Laurent, lending the moment added significance. Susan Cianciolo’s Isabel Toledo Tribute is the evening’s most unexpected inclusion, a signal that the CFDA is thinking beyond the runway. The 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards presented by Amazon Fashion take place Monday, November 2, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Featured image: CFDA.com
