The CFDA Awards 2026 winners are in. On Monday night at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Rachel Scott of Diotima won American Womenswear Designer of the Year, and Ralph Lauren won American Menswear Designer of the Year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced. This guide has the full list, the best red carpet looks and a few details from the room.
Every winner and presenter below comes from the CFDA’s own release or from reporting by WWD, Vogue, Business of Fashion and Hypebae. We were not in the room. Our Style section has more from the season.
As of Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Details follow the CFDA’s release and the outlets named at the end.
CFDA Awards 2026 winners: the full list
Here are the CFDA Awards 2026 winners, one line each. Keke Palmer hosted, and CFDA Chairman Thom Browne welcomed guests.
| Award | Winner | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| American Womenswear Designer of the Year | Rachel Scott for Diotima | Lupita Nyong’o and Francisco Costa |
| American Menswear Designer of the Year | Ralph Lauren | Matt Damon and Tremaine Emory |
| American Accessory Designer of the Year | Ana Khouri | Naomi Osaka and Joseph Altuzarra |
| Google Shopping American Emerging Designer of the Year | Colleen Allen | Cole Escola and Gabriela Hearst |
| International Designer of the Year | Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent | Hailey Bieber, Rosé and Zoë Kravitz |
The other seven are honors for people and companies.
| Award | Honoree | Presented by |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Icon Award | Peter Marino | Cornelia Guest |
| Positive Change Award | Tory Burch | Anna Wintour |
| Innovation Award presented by Amazon Fashion | Gap Inc. | Demi Moore |
| Media Award in honor of Eugenia Sheppard | Eva Chen | Laufey |
| Founder’s Award in honor of Eleanor Lambert | Linda Fargo | Michael Kors |
| Isabel Toledo Board of Directors’ Tribute | Susan Cianciolo | Adi Gil, Angela Donhauser and Gabriel Asfour of threeASFOUR |
| Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award | Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin | Charles Star Matadin |
Rachel Scott leads the CFDA Awards 2026 winners
Rachel Scott of Diotima won the womenswear prize. WWD says she won the same award in 2024, and Business of Fashion calls this her second. The nominees were Catherine Holstein for Khaite, Michael Kors, Tory Burch and Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera.
WWD describes her as Jamaican-born and says her Diotima collection blends traditional Jamaican artisanal techniques with sharp New York and European tailoring. WWD also notes that she is creative director of Proenza Schouler.
We did not find a clip from this year’s ceremony on the CFDA’s channel, so here is its own video of her 2024 win.
Ralph Lauren, Ana Khouri and Colleen Allen
Ralph Lauren took menswear, presented by Matt Damon and Tremaine Emory. It is not his first menswear prize. WWD notes wins in 1996 and 2007. WWD adds that he won womenswear last year. The CFDA’s own 2025 ceremony video is titled to match. He beat Public School New York, Thom Browne, Todd Snyder and Willy Chavarria.
Ana Khouri won accessories. WWD calls her a Brazilian-born sculptor and high-jewelry designer based in New York. Ana Khouri, a four-time nominee, won the accessories prize for the first time, Business of Fashion reports. Her fellow nominees were Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for The Row, Raul Lopez for Luar, Sophie Buhai and Stuart Vevers for Coach. Here is the CFDA’s video of her as a nominee in 2023.
Colleen Allen won the emerging award. WWD describes her as Brooklyn-based, the founder of her own womenswear label and a 2026 LVMH Prize nominee. She beat Emily Dawn Long, Julia Ferentinos for Juju Vera, Julian Louie for Aubero and Zane Li for Lii. The CFDA’s release names the prize the Google Shopping American Emerging Designer of the Year, while Vogue and WWD shorten it.
Ana Khouri, a four-time nominee, won the accessories prize for the first time, Business of Fashion reports.
Anthony Vaccarello’s send-off at Saint Laurent
Hailey Bieber, Rosé and Zoë Kravitz presented International Designer of the Year to Anthony Vaccarello, the one international name among the CFDA Awards 2026 winners. Business of Fashion calls him the outgoing Saint Laurent designer. Vogue’s best-dressed slideshow says the Saint Laurent pieces on the carpet came from “his latest, and last, collection for the brand.”
Business of Fashion reports that the presenters wore the gold ensembles that recently went down the Paris runway. It also says Vaccarello used his speech to thank the people beside him. Success, he argued, is about more than what you create. For the runway itself, read our Paris Fashion Week Spring 2027 takeaways and our look at Paris spring 2027 evening wear.
CFDA Awards best dressed: the red carpet
Vogue says many guests chose classics or pared-back, monochromatic looks. A few gold pieces stood out. Vogue’s best-dressed slideshow and Hypebae’s picks agree on these CFDA Awards red carpet looks:
- Tinashe in Christopher John Rogers.
- Gracie Abrams in Colleen Allen.
- Lila Moss in Juju Vera Studio.
- Mona Tougaard in Lii.
- Nara Smith in Altuzarra.
- Lupita Nyong’o in Gap Studio.
- Laufey in Thom Browne.
- Naomi Osaka in Miss Claire Sullivan.
- Hailey Bieber, Zoë Kravitz and Rosé in Saint Laurent.
Hypebae calls Laufey’s look an elegant Thom Browne gown and the Saint Laurent group sparkling. Neither outlet describes most of the outfits in detail. We list the designers and leave the rest to the photos. Two looks tie back to the CFDA Awards 2026 winners: Gracie Abrams wore Colleen Allen, the new emerging winner, and Lupita Nyong’o wore Gap Studio on the night Gap Inc. took the Innovation Award. For more on this season’s carpets, see our red carpet roundup and October red carpet looks.
For another recent carpet look from the same season, see the fawn print gown at LACMA.
The setting: whales, mammals and pot pies
This was the fourth year the ceremony met at the museum, Vogue reports. Guests had cocktails in the Hall of North American Mammals. Then they moved to the Hall of Ocean Life for the awards and dinner, where pot pies, which Vogue says are now a tradition, came out under a 94-foot-long model of a female blue whale.
The CFDA’s guest list also named Julia Fox, Nara Smith, Gracie Abrams, Donatella Versace, Pamela Anderson and Megan Thee Stallion. Meanwhile Sara Moonves marked 30 years of the CFDA Scholarship Fund and announced a new CFDA and WYouth scholarship, presented by Nuuly, that launches in 2027.
FAQ: CFDA Awards 2026 winners
Who won the CFDA Awards 2026?
Rachel Scott of Diotima won womenswear, Ralph Lauren won menswear, Ana Khouri won accessories and Colleen Allen won the emerging award. Anthony Vaccarello won International Designer of the Year.
Who hosted the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards?
Keke Palmer hosted, and CFDA Chairman Thom Browne welcomed guests.
Where were the CFDA Awards 2026 held?
At the American Museum of Natural History in New York, on Monday night. Vogue says the awards and dinner took place in the Hall of Ocean Life.
Who won American Womenswear Designer of the Year?
Rachel Scott for Diotima, presented by Lupita Nyong’o and Francisco Costa.
Sources: the CFDA’s release on PR Newswire, Vogue (November 2), WWD (November 2), Business of Fashion (November 3) and Hypebae (November 3). Last checked Tuesday, November 3, 2026.