We Asked NYFW Designers… Have You Ever Won Anything Before?

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With Olympic fever in the air, we were curious if some of our favorite NYFW designers have ever received their own version of a gold medal!

Joseph Altuzarra, Altuzarra
“When I was in college, I sang in ana cappella group and won Outstanding Soloist at the ICCA Northeast Quarterfinals for a rendition of ‘Goodnight Moon,’ by Shivaree. It’s been downhill ever since.”

Joseph Altuzarra

Cynthia Rowley
“I won a marshmallow stuffing contest in high school. 40! I also won an award for selling the most Girl Scout cookies in my regional area in seventh grade.”

Cynthia Rowley

Alexis Bittar
“My biggest win was in 2010 when I won the CFDA Accessory Designer of the Year award. I definitely felt like the underdog and was up against Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler. In the 45 years of the CFDA’s, only five jewelers have won this category. I decided to bring my dad and Iris Apfel as my dates. Iris, of course, stole the show. When the moment came to announce the winner, I felt like I entered into a blackout. It was an amazing feeling to work at something for years, having started by selling my jewelry on the streets of Soho in 1990, and then be recognized for what I love to do.”

Alexis Bittar (Heather Gildroy)

Christian Siriano
“Growing up, I was on the Maryland dive team and I used to win awards for my inward pike. If anyone doesn’t know what an inward pike is, I recommend watching a video, they’re really scary. I also won a little fashion competition show called Project Runway, by the way, but that inward pike was killer.”

Christian Siriano and Bronwyn Newport

Christian Juul Nielsen, Aknvas
“At age 10, I won Best Recorder Player, my first gold medal, which is still on display at my parents’ house in Denmark. I occasionally try to defend my title, with less impressive results. In my school years, I was the fastest swimmer in my class, though never officially awarded. In boarding school in Denmark, I won Best Morning Hair. In bible school in England, I was the winner of the local Eurovision Song Contest. I performed ‘Barbie Girl,’ and I’m ready for a rematch. In university in London, I was awarded the Saga Fur Award in Denmark after presenting my graduation collection. Then things started getting serious. For my work with Aknvas in New York, I won the FGI award for Womenswear in 2020 and for Menswear in 2021. In 2023, I won the AC Accessories Design Excellence Award, where I basically decorated a boot the same way I do a dress.”

Christian Juul Nielsen

Kate Barton
“I ran exactly one track race as a kid—the Hershey Track & Field 100-meter sprint, and somehow won, placing first in the Midwest region at around age 10. It was my first and only taste of competition on a bigger stage, long before fashion. That same drive later showed up in fashion. I’ve been recognized as a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist, a Mittelmoda Innovation Prize winner in Milan, Forbes 30 Under 30, and with an FGI Rising Star Award. Different arena, same instinct to see what happens when you jump in and really go for it.”

Kate Barton and Marianne Amisial (Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com)

Frederick Anderson
“A little-known fact about me is that I was in the original cast of Crazy for You on Broadway, and we won the Tony Award for best musical!”

Frederick Anderson

Dennis Basso
“In the early ’70s I was on a transatlantic crossing with my parents on the SS Michelangelo, a glam ship, and I won the dance contest. The competition wasn’t a very high bar, but I did win!”

Dennis Basso

Alexandra O’Neill, Markarian
“I was extremely lucky when I was 5 years old at a school raffle. I won a Mickey Mouse wall phone that I was obsessed with. My raffle tickets kept getting called after that and eventually, I was too embarrassed to go up anymore. I think I used up all of my luck that day and haven’t won anything since!”

Alexandra O’Neill

Christian Cowan
“One of my most treasured memories has nothing to do with clothes at all. Growing up in the U.K., I was endlessly curious about the natural world. One afternoon, while exploring near home, I came across a spider that looked strikingly different from anything I’d seen before—glossy, dark, and frankly, rather too exciting-looking for England. That curiosity turned into a small adventure. After doing some research and reaching out to experts at the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, I learned it was a rare breed, the false black widow spider. I donated the specimen and my notes, and to my surprise, I was invited to become a member of the British Arachnological Society. As it turned out I was the first person to discover and donate this species in the U.K. As a child, it felt like an extraordinary win, being taken seriously by scientists and contributing, in a tiny way, to something much bigger than myself. That moment stayed with me. It taught me the value of curiosity, observation, and following an instinct, even when it leads somewhere unexpected—lessons that still shape how I approach creativity today.”

Christian Cowan

Rebecca Hessel Cohen, LoveShackFancy
“In the early ’90s I was a competitive gymnast. Floor and beam were my events, but I’d do aerials and round-off back handsprings anywhere I could. I won about 30 medals between 1990 and 1996. Though I couldn’t tell you where any of them are now! It’s also when my signature arm-up pose was born. Gymnastics taught me how to shine under pressure, a skill that’s proven remarkably useful as a founder. Today, the wins look different—FIT’s Entrepreneurship Award, BoF 500, Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award, Guild Hall’s Visionary Award, Glossy 50, and a few more I’m deeply grateful for—but the spirit remains the same.”

Rebecca Hessel Cohen

Anna Sui
“Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Daily Front Row at the 2024 Fashion Media Awards, held at the iconic Rainbow Room, was one of the greatest honors of my career—and certainly one of the most glamorous evenings imaginable. The award was presented by my dear friend Debbie Harry, making the moment even more meaningful. Sofia Coppola, Michele Hicks, and several members of my design team joined me for the celebration. That same evening, the incomparable Pat Cleveland presented Jerry Hall with the Fashion Legend Award, while Carolyn Murphy, Alek Wek, and Amber Valletta—all of whom walked my shows throughout the ’90s and early 2000s—presented Trey Laird with Campaign of the Year. And Coco Rocha, who also walked in my shows, presented the Fashion Innovator Award. The biggest thrill of the night came when Debbie and I went backstage after I accepted my award. Just behind the curtain stood Rihanna, who exclaimed, “I’ve been waiting to talk to you!” I was certain she meant Debbie…until she grabbed my arm and kissed me on the cheek. Now that was an exciting moment!

Anna Sui

Sergio Hudson
“Winning first place in my senior fashion show while in college was the first time my dream spoke back to me and said, ‘Keep going!’

Sergio Hudson

Bibhu Mohapatra
“I have an honorary doctorate degree from Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences. It’s a great honor to be Dr. Bibhu Mohapatra, although I’m a bit embarrassed to use that prefix.”

Bibhu Mohapatra

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