CFDA

>> Inaugural Fashion Incubator Designers Have Officially Moved In —The first twelve designers participating in the new CFDA Fashion Incubator program — including Prabal Gurung, Waris Ahluwalia, Sophie Theallet, Bibhu Mohapatra, and Justin Giunta — which provides subsidized studios in the heart of New York's Garment District, officially moved into the space, which apparently "looks much like a shopping mall, with glass-fronted showrooms on either side of a grand aisle," last week. Advantages include retailers being able to visit the designers all at the same time and proximity to their suppliers. “The amount of time we save, even if it’s running out for a zipper, is incredible,” said Mohapatra. [NY Times]

>> CFDA Popular Award Ballot Now Open for Voting— Last year, the CFDA introduced the Popular Vote Award, allowing the public to vote for its favorite designer.  Ralph Lauren won the inaugural award, and today, balloting opens for the 2010 Award.  See the nominees for 2010 CFDA Awards in other categories here, and then take a crack at voting at the following link — the winner will be announced at the June 7 Awards ceremony. [WWD]

>> When Diane von Furstenberg was re-elected for her third term as CFDA president a couple of weeks ago, she said she was looking forward to continuing her work, specifically: "We’d like to pass the law against counterfeits and copying."

Over the weekend, it seems the she got a little closer to that goal: Capitol Hill's Committee on House Administration approved the formation of the fashion industry’s first caucus, named the “Congressional Apparel Manufacturing and Fashion Business Caucus."

Among the causes on the docket »

>> Cathy Horyn: European Fashion Houses Already Eyeing Joseph Altuzarra —In three seasons, Joseph Altuzarra has gathered both Carine Roitfeld and Anna Wintour in his front row, and earlier this week, he was nominated for the CFDA's Swarovski womenswear award.  Out of Altuzarra and fellow award nominees Prabal Gurung and Jason Wu, Cathy Horyn writes: "Who in three or four seasons has provided the creative stretch that runway mavens look for? Whose name is mentioned quietly among European houses as someone to watch and, maybe eventually, design or advise behind the scenes? And who keeps a bit of a distance from the pack? Beyond the CFDA awards night on June 7, I would keep my eye on Mr. Altuzarra." [On the Runway]

I rocked my votes and now the 2010 CFDA Fashion Award nominees are in. We have to wait until June 7 to learn the results, but without further ado, here they are: Donna Karan, Alexander Wang, and Marc Jacobs for Womenswear Designer of the Year. In the Menswear Designer of the Year category are Tom Ford, Michael Bastian, and David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone. Fab favorite Alexis Bittar will be competing against Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Accessory Designer of the Year.

To hear more nominees, read more

Diane von Furstenberg, who will be the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America until at least Dec. 31, 2012, announced the 2010 CFDA award nominees this evening in her New York headquarters. The award ceremony will be held on June 7 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and will again include the Popular Vote award, which is open to the public and was given to Ralph Lauren in 2009.

This year, Christopher Bailey will be honored with the International Award for his work at Burberry, Tonne Goodman will receive the Eleanor Lambert Award, the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Michael Kors, and Alexander McQueen will posthumously receive the CFDA Board of Directors' Special Tribute Award.

Womenswear Designer of the Year
Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang

Menswear Designer of the Year
Tom Ford, Michael Bastian, David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone

Accessory Designer of the Year
Marc Jacobs, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, Alexis Bittar

The Swarovski Award For Womenswear
Prabal Gurung, Joseph Altuzarra, Jason Wu

The Swarovski Award for Menswear
Simon Spurr, Patrik Ervell, Richard Chai

The Swarovski Award For Accessory Design
Dana Lorenz, Alexander Wang, Eddie Borgo

International Award
Christopher Bailey

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award
Michael Kors

Eleanor Lambert Award
Tonne Goodman

Eugenia Sheppard Award
Kim Hastreiter

CFDA Board of Dirctors' Special Tribute Award
Alexander McQueen

Fashion Icon Award
Iman

>> At the CFDA meeting earlier today, the board voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Diane von Furstenberg for a third, two-year term as president of the organization.  Von Furstenberg, whose term would have originally come to an end after this year, will now serve until Dec. 31, 2012: “[The board] unanimously asked me to stay another two years and I said yes. I am happy that they love me and I love them. There is so much more to do and we’re doing it.”

And this evening, von Furstenberg held a cocktail gathering for the 2010 CFDA Award nominations announcements at her studio.  She noted that the awards ceremony on June 7 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall will host a special tribute for Alexander McQueen, and the Popular Vote category, which is open to public voting and which Ralph Lauren won last year, will be back again this year, with voting starting April 1.

Without further ado, the nominees »

>> Last night, the CFDA gathered an audience at Milk Studios in Manhattan for a Health Initiative discussion on “The Beauty of Health: Resizing the Sample Size.”  James Scully, the casting director who worked on the likes of Jason Wu's and Stella McCartney's shows last season and Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent's during Tom Ford's reign, laid it out:

Of the 172 girls I saw for casting for fashion week, 75 of those were 16 or under. Everybody is demanding the girls fit into a 33-inch hip. A teenage boy has a 32-inch hip . . . they start too young and suddenly when they’re 17 turning 18 and they grow breasts and hips, they’ll do anything to fit into the size.

Doutzen Kroes, who started in the industry at 18 and was pressured to lose weight, offered her perspective: “I never fit the sample. I probably fit it once, when I was 11." Her solution? “We had what we called an ‘ass meeting’ with my agent. I chose to have a healthy lifestyle and work around that.”

So how will the standard be changed? »

>> The CFDA Fashion Incubator, announced last October in partnership with New York City's Mayor Bloomberg, has its first twelve tenants.  Among those named as part of the inaugural group of designers: Alice Ritter, Bibhu Mohapatra, Prabal Gurung, Sophie Theallet, Gemma Redux's Rachel Dooley, Grey Ant's Grant Krajecki, House of Waris's Waris Ahluwalia, Jolibe's Joel Diaz, Lewis's Alison Lewis, Public School's Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, Ruby Kobo's Yuvi Alpert and Danna Kobo, and Subversive Jewelry's Justin Giunta.

The designers each received two-year leases on design studio spaces ranging from 800 to 1,000 square feet at 209 West 38th Street in Manhattan, with subsidized, below-market rental rates of between $1,500 and $2,000 per month.  To earn a spot, the designers had to submit a business plan, show they had "substantive editorial coverage" and orders from high-level retailers, have been in business for over a year and a half, and be supporting a staff.