The Council of Fashion Designers of America (C.F.D.A.) will be holding their awards ceremony coming up in June and DNR has a profile update of the contenders.
For Menswear Designer of the Year we have:
Tom Ford:“Tom Ford’s choice of men’s wear—supremely luxurious, head-to-toe wardrobing—as the vehicle for his big comeback glamorized the industry, especially the tailored clothing sector, immeasurably. ‘I felt that there was a tremendous niche in the market that was not being addressed,’ Ford says. He envisioned stores that offered not just world-class tailoring, but an experience where the service, packaging and sales environment are as exceptional as the product.”
Michael Bastian: “Michael Bastian has soared in stature in just five seasons as a designer, but his mission for his signature line remains the same: perfecting classic American sportswear. Perfection, of course, is an ever moving target. As time goes by he feels more certain about who he is, what the brand stands for and who the customer is. And not surprisingly, the three concepts are essentially equal—a really likable, all-American guy who fits in the downtown scene, but is nostalgic for college. And the guy is no fashionista, but he has an authentic style that others covet.”
Thom Browne: “There is no denying Thom Browne’s influence. He has single-handedly shortened the pants of fashionable men, and proceeded to distort and subvert such icons of American male achievement as the briefcase and the tennis sweater….He has inspired countless young designers to launch independent businesses by proving that a new American men’s designer could be globally relevant and successful on his own terms, even while challenging the most stubborn of all orthodoxies, suits. Brooks Brothers, one of the biggest guardians of sartorial orthodoxy, capitulated and put Browne on its payroll last year as a collaborator on the Black Fleece collection. “For the Swarovski Award for Menswear we have:
Tim Hamilton: “Tim Hamilton steered a swervy course this year, and his fans enjoyed every unexpected moment. For spring he broke from the vintage patinas and rusticity of his earliest collections. In their place he introduced technical fabrics, lightweight calfskins, sheer knits and vivid color. If onlookers were uncertain about the new direction, they had to respect the designer’s conviction.”
Patrik Ervell: “Patrik Ervell, a former fashion editor, tried his hand at design three years ago. The U.S. become his biggest market this year—sweet validation for a designer whose mantra has always been “American sportswear.” Previously Ervell found Japan and Europe more receptive, while American retailers, indoctrinated with the idea that the country’s native sportswear should be laden with references to the past and shaded with regional mythology and lifestyle branding, perhaps didn’t know what to make of Ervell.”
Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders: “American men’s wear is enamored with its own mid-century heyday, when respectability was the guiding force behind a man’s every sartorial choice. Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg is his generation’s vanguard in this movement. He is moved by nostalgia for the good taste that previous generations of solid, male role-models used to exude.”
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