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On Friday, September 11, 2026, more than 300 of the fashion industry’s brightest stars and most influential voices gathered at the iconic Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center for the 13th annual Fashion Media Awards. Hosted by Matteo Lane, the night honored the people who make the fashion industry great and ensure that it continues to thrive even in the most uncertain of times.
Matteo Lane (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
As presenters and honorees took to the stage, they shared personal anecdotes, wise words, and tremendous gratitude for the people and industry that has given them a home and which they, in tern, have enriched so deeply.
Here are some of our favorite quotes from the night:
Isaac Mizrahi on the way Town&Country editor in chief Stellene Volandes makes doing so much look so easy:
“If we scratched the surface, I’m sure we would find the struggles of Stellene — what a great movie title that would be: The Struggles of Stellene — the headaches, the setbacks, but as it is, all we see are the dinner parties, the jewelry, the celebrities. It’s like watching Fred Astaire. You never realize how hard he works, you see him floating, effortless, elegant. Stellene is the Fred Astaire of the media world. We somehow know there are innumerate details, a huge, great effort made, but we don’t see it, we only see the brilliance.”
Isaac Mizrahi and Stellene Volandes (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Stellene Volandes — accepting the Media Icon Award for Town&Country — on the secret to making something that lasts:
“The secret is loving it, believing in it, and thinking that it matters. Everything that you do matters. I’m lucky that I have an entire team that loves it and that also believes in it. That’s the secret.”
Stephen Gan on the first time he met Kai Schreiber:
“I knew nothing about her, but I was immediately struck by her grace and beauty. We quickly organized a beauty story for her. I renmber staring at the screen on set tand thinking “this is like watching a ballerina do her first dance.”
Kai Schreiber and Stephen Gan (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Kai Schreiber on being the first trans recipient of the Fashion Media Award for Breakthrough Model of the Year:
“[It] is surreal and wouldn’t be possible if not for all my sisters who paved the way for me in this industry, and I carry them with me into every room.”
Fashion Innovator Award-winner Jordan Roth on fashion as a tool for knowing yourself:
“Self-expression through fashion is a practice, a daily way of being, open to all of us. But it is always a doing, never a done. As soon as we name and define the finished self, the identity, we have identified our boundaries. To say ‘This is what I am’ implies ‘this is all that I am.’ So even the most freeing of identities is also a box. I used to think we all just needed a bigger box. I am coming to believe we don’t need the box at all. It may help us know each other, but it doesn’t help us know ourselves.”
Evan Rachel Wood, Jordan Roth, Jenna Lyons (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Zac Posen on Wisdom Kaye’s “It” factor:
“I’ve been fortunate throughout my whole career to work with extraordinary talent. You learn pretty quickly that there are certain people who just have it-that magic, that presence. You recognize it Within seconds, wisdom as it-that is what makes him a trailblazer.”
Wisdom Kaye and Zac Posen (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Wisdom Kaye — recipient of the night’s Fashion Trailblazer Award — on the power and freedom of not knowing:
“When I was eight years old, I wanted to be a firefighter. When I was 10 years old, I wanted to be the youngest person ever to climb Mount Everest. And when I was 17 years old, I wanted to be a professional soccer player. [None] of those things happen. And I’m 25 now and I don’t even know what I’m doing tonight after this. The one thing I think I’ve always known, though, at all the stages of my life, is that I wanted to create.”
Sadie Frost on the relationship she formed with Twiggy while directing a documentary about her life and career:
“We spent three years together, and we got to know each other so well. And you know, when you work with someone every day, you have to have so much trust. I respect everything about you. You’re so inspiring. [You’re] the biggest vibe and a dear friend.”
Sadie Frost and Twiggy (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Style Icon Award-recipient Twiggy on America and New York:
“I love America and, as you’ll see in the “Twiggy” documentary [Sadie Frost directed], America has always been so welcoming to me, and I thank you for that. In 1983, I was lucky enough to star on Broadway in the Gershwin Musical, My One and Only, and New York embraced me in their loving arms, and although London is my home, I think of New York as my home away from home.”
Jodie Woods on the power of her sister, Jordyn Woods’ vision:
“This year, we saw just how powerful [Jordyn Woods’] vision can be. Her now famous tux clinch mini became New York’s lucky charm during the Knicks’ historic run. But for me, the most exciting part isn’t that viral moment. It’s watching her build something of her own and seeing people connect with it. Jordyn, you are proof that when you trust your instincts, take risks, and stay true to yourself, you change the game.”
Jordyn Woods and Jodie Woods (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Jordyn Woods — recipient of the Fashion Game Changer Award — on the power of not trying to fit in.
“Being called a fashion game changer feels extremely surreal because I think, for me, some of the biggest changes in my life came when I stopped worrying about fitting in and fitting into the game and started creating my own. Fashion has always been about how I tell my story without having to explain myself, and over the years that story has changed because I have changed, [but] through all of it has been fashion.”
Law Roach on Corina Larpin’s approach to jewelry:
“[She] has redefined what fine jewelry can be. Corina Larpin doesn’t simply create beautiful pieces, she creates works of art that tell stories, spark emotion, and empower the people who wear them. Her work has been worn by some of the biggest stars, including Beyoncé, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, and my Zendaya. Clap now. Thank you. But what truly sets Corina apart is her commitment to self-expression. She invites us to wear jewelry not as adornment, but as identity. She doesn’t follow trends; she sets them.”
Law Roach and Corina Larpin (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Corina Larpin — accepting the award for Accessories Designer of the Year — on Law Roach:
“To receive this award from Law Roach — one of the greatest stylists in the world, someone who has changed fashion, and, most importantly to me, is such a dear friend — makes tonight even more unforgettable. Law, having you here presenting this award to me means more than I can say. Thank you.”
Derek Blasberg on Jenna Lyons impact on his own aesthetic sense and the aesthetic sense of the world at large:
“I’ve been a fan of Jenna since before I moved to New York. Growing up in Missouri, J. Crew — where Jenna began her career out of Parsons in 1990 and rose to become president and executive career director — was a portal for another life. Oh, how I longed to be one of those catalog people. They went sailing. They had weekends in Nantucket. They wore sweaters over their shoulders. There was no decorative clarity where I grew up in St. Louis, and it’s no understatement to say that her view of fashion inspired mine. Tonight we’re honoring Jenna as a fashion force, and why? It’s because she’s helped make she’s she’s helped make style feel personal and possible for millions of people.”
Jenna Lyons and Derek Blasberg (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Fashion Force Award-winner Jenna Lyons on Iman, who was sitting front row at the ceremony:
Iman, I don’t know if you remember this, but I worked at Donna Karan in the ‘90s. Some beautiful models came in, and I remember Donna had this dress, and three of the other girls had tried it on, but no one really worked until she handed it to you. You walked into the middle of the room, and I remember Donna’s eyes just lit up, like, that’s the difference. You turned that beautiful gown into something magical, and I remember being awestruck.”
Tonne Goodman on what makes Chloe Malle so good at her job:
“She has brought a real sense of intimacy and accessibility [to Vogue]. She connects with readers and she brings them into conversation.”
Chloe Malle and Tonne Goodman (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Chloe Malle, accepting the award for Magazine of the Year on behalf of Vogue, on the importance of asking for help:
“It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a year since my new role of being head of editorial content there, and I have to say something that I found really important is asking people for help. Last weekend I was thinking about that because there was an op-ed in the New York Times by Angela Duckworth about how underrated it is to ask for help, especially in this culture of individualism. And I will say that the most important lesson I have learned in this past whirlwind year has been to ask and to listen to those around you. I have asked for help and advice from colleagues and peers so many times in the past 12 months, as I adjusted this role, and I cannot imagine how I would have done it without that.”
Iman on Bethann Hardison’s determination to do what she believes in, even when it cost her:
“Bethann and I came to an industry that did not always make room for us. Women did not look like us, but Bethann was never interested in simply finding her own place in the room, she wanted to change the room, and she did. She fought for black models and creatives before diversity was a headline or something companies had a department for. She spoke up when it wasn’t fashionable, when it wasn’t easy, and when there was often a price to pay. And that courage has changed countless lives.”
Iman and Bethann Hardison (Caroline Fiss for The Daily Front Row)
Bethann Hardison — recipient of the Fashion Media Award for Lifetime Achievement — oh her work as an advocate for black representation in fashion:
Someone asked me the other day, “What does it mean to [receive] a lifetime achievement [award]? What do you have to do to be acknowledged in that way?” I’ve done so many things. I can’t even tell you how many things I’ve done, because as you get older, your mind gets slower and you can’t remember things as much. But I’ve [always lived my life] with purpose. I came on Earth to do certain things, and I’m not ambitious, but […] I came here to do what was presented, and sometimes only certain people can do that.”
Special thanks to our sponsors: Redken, Lavazza, Ekouaer and Coofandy Collections, Eternal Water, Sexy Fish Miami, Ciroc, and our special gifting partner, Gorgie, for helping make the 2026 Fashion Media Awards happen. We couldn’t do it without you. Nor would we want to.
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