2026 CFDA Fashion Awards Presented by Amazon Fashion Set for November 2

The Council of Fashion Designers of America will hold its 2026 Fashion Awards on Monday, November 2, at the American Museum of Natural History, the fourth consecutive year the ceremony has landed there. Amazon Fashion returns as presenting partner for the fifth consecutive year.

Nothing about the setup has changed from 2025. Same venue, same sponsor, and same 94-foot blue whale hanging over the Hall of Ocean Life, where it has been suspended since 1969, and last got a scientific overhaul in 2003.

Steven Kolb, CFDA’s chief executive and president, announced the news alongside Amazon Fashion’s Jenny Freshwater. Kolb’s statement described the awards as celebrating “the extraordinary artistry, craftsmanship, and vision that shape the culture of our industry.”  Freshwater, Amazon’s vice president of Fashion and Fitness, said the company continues to support designers whose work is shaping today’s fashion landscape and cultural conversation. Amazon became the presenting partner of the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2022, succeeding Swarovski, whose 17-year association with the event concluded in 2019.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America was established in 1962 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert. Its Fashion Awards began in 1981. Nominees are drawn from the Fashion Guild, a group of more than 1,500 CFDA members, including editors, retailers, and stylists, before the board finalizes a shortlist. That process has stayed the same for years.

Sponsorship has barely moved either. Google Shopping continues to back the Emerging Designer of the Year award. MAC Cosmetics remains the beauty partner. Krug remains the Champagne partner. All three held their roles in 2025 too, so nothing new there for 2026.

Based on the organization’s usual timeline, the nominees are expected to be announced around September, with the ceremony scheduled for early November.

Last year’s ceremony is the closest thing to a preview. On November 3, 2025, at the same museum, Ralph Lauren won American Womenswear Designer of the Year. Thom Browne, who also chairs the CFDA board, a term that runs through the end of 2026, won Menswear for the fourth time, following earlier wins in 2006, 2013, and 2016. Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen of The Row won Accessories. Ashlynn Park of the label Ashlyn won Emerging Designer, presented by Addison Rae and Christopher John Rogers. 

Teyana Taylor emceed the 2025 ceremony, changing into multiple Thom Browne ensembles throughout the night, while Jenna Lyons welcomed guests and conducted the red-carpet coverage. Anna Wintour named A$AP Rocky Fashion Icon. Donatella Versace received the Positive Change Award from Amber Valletta and Ariana DeBose. Sara Moonves of W Magazine won the Eugenia Sheppard Media Award, presented by Jennifer Lawrence. Naomi Campbell presented the International Designer of the Year award to Alaïa creative director Pieter Mulier during the ceremony. Jerry Lorenzo won the Innovation Award, presented by Ava DuVernay. Cynthia Rowley received the Founder’s Award from Julianne Moore. Olivia Dean performed. Rihanna, Venus Williams, Angel Reese, and Tory Burch were among the guests.

Before settling into the museum, the ceremony bounced between venues over the decades, including stretches at the Brooklyn Museum and Lincoln Center. In 2024, the date moved a week earlier, to October 28, specifically to avoid landing the night before a presidential election. Kolb said at the time that election coverage would otherwise have buried the story and that half the room would have been too anxious to enjoy the evening anyway.

None of this determines who wins in 2026. What it shows is the venue booked, the sponsor locked in, and the nomination process moving through the Fashion Guild toward a fall ceremony as usual. Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, and The Row have each won their categories multiple times over the past five years. That is a pattern worth noting, not a guarantee of what comes next. Separately, the CFDA has confirmed October 20, 2026, for its Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund dinner, where this year’s winner will be named. The program has run for 23 years now and has previously helped launch designers including Proenza Schouler, Thom Browne, and Christopher John Rogers, along with this year’s ten finalists, who were revealed back in June.

London runs its own parallel season. The Fashion Awards 2025 were held at the Royal Albert Hall on December 1, 2025, hosted by Colman Domingo, with performances from Raye and Tems. Jonathan Anderson won Designer of the Year for the third consecutive year, this time for his work at JW Anderson and at Dior, where he had made his debut earlier that year. Sarah Burton won Womenswear for Givenchy, Grace Wales Bonner won Menswear, and Dilara Findikoglu received the Vanguard Award. Brunello Cucinelli received the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented by Sharon Stone, following Tom Ford’s win the year before. The citation for Cucinelli’s award specifically praised his innovation in cashmere, a more pointed detail than the award’s past citations tend to include.