Ralph Lauren, Rachel Scott, and Colleen Allen Lead the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards Winners

2 min read

Often called the Oscars of American fashion, the CFDA Fashion Awards lived up to the billing last night, drawing a starry crowd to the American Museum of Natural History. The ceremony, now in its 45th year, recognized the designers and creatives shaping the direction of American fashion, from established names to independent newcomers.

Before guests headed inside the museum halls, they stepped onto the red carpet to channel the evening’s dress code, “American design excellence,” where many of the evening’s nominees and honorees were well-represented. ELLE cover star Mona Tougaard wore a punchy primary-color look by Zane Li of LII, who was nominated in the American Emerging Designer of the Year category. Demi Moore and Lupita Nyong’o chose to rework American wardrobe classics in custom GapStudio. And Hailey Bieber, Zoë Kravitz, Rosé, and Anja Rubik glimmered in gilded Saint Laurent looks from Anthony Vaccarello’s final collection for the brand. (Vaccarello was honored with the International Designer of the Year Award.)

Mona Tougaard and Zane Li.

Then, Thom Browne, the CFDA’s chairman of the board of directors, started the ceremony with powerful opening remarks: “American fashion is at the center of the world and at the center of the spirit of our time,” he said. “It’s never been more important to tell important stories.”

Richard Dickson, Demi Moore, and Zac Posen.

Browne handed the reins off to host Keke Palmer, who delivered a major fashion moment in 1970s Bob Mackie previously worn by Raquel Welch, to begin awarding the evening’s most anticipated prizes. Rachel Scott was crowned American Womenswear Designer of the Year, her second time earning the prize, while Ralph Lauren, set to celebrate 60 years in business in 2027, won American Menswear Designer of the Year.

In her speech, Scott issued a call to action that was especially poignant ahead of the midterm elections. “In a world where independent and marginalized voices are systematically quieted, I feel extremely lucky and very, very responsible,” she said. “And we have a lot of work to do, starting tomorrow morning.”

Gracie Abrams and Colleen Allen.

Colleen Allen, beloved by the New York fashion scene for her bewitchingly feminine but powerful designs, won the coveted Google Shopping American Emerging Designer of the Year Award, while Ana Khouri took home Accessory Designer of the Year for her sculptural jewelry and gravity-defying ear cuffs.

Also included in the programming were a series of special honors, including Tory Burch’s Positive Change Award, Peter Marino’s Fashion Icon Award, and Inez and Vinoodh’s Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.

See the full list of the 2026 CFDA Fashion Award winners below.

American Womenswear Designer of the Year

Rachel Scott for Diotima

American Menswear Designer of the Year

Ralph Lauren

American Accessory Designer of the Year

Ana Khouri

Google Shopping American Emerging Designer of the Year

Colleen Allen

International Designer of the Year Award

Anthony Vaccarello

Fashion Icon Award

Peter Marino

Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard

Eva Chen

Positive Change Award

Tory Burch

Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert

Linda Fargo

Innovation Award Presented by Amazon Fashion

Gap Inc.

Isabel Toledo Board of Directors’ Tribute

Susan Cianciolo

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin