Erykah Badu celebrated as fashion icon at CFDA Awards after years of pushing boundaries

NEW YORK -- Erykah Badu was bestowed nan fashion icon grant by nan Council of Fashion Designers of America, playfully saying it was an grant she’d been hoping to get astir of her life.

Wearing a headdress of jewels and a Thom Browne jacket, Badu accepted nan grant Monday nighttime successful Manhattan, said she’s been trying to triumph nan icon grant since she was 6 years old. Badu described dressing up arsenic a sport, therapy and her husband.

Andre 3000 brought retired an orangish be aware cone to nan shape arsenic he introduced Badu, who is nan mother of his son.

“The world is simply a backstage joke betwixt maine and my things,” she said. Andrew 3000 took nan cone arsenic he walked disconnected pinch Badu.

The Grammy Award victor has go 1 of nan awesome manner disruptors of reddish carpets complete nan years, shaking up achromatic necktie conformity pinch her ain Afro-centric style of gangly hats and headwraps, oversized jewelry and talismans and layers of patchwork cloth adorned pinch accents that move and make music.

The CFDA Awards were held astatine nan American Museum of Natural History astatine a ceremonial that attracted celebrities for illustration Katie Holmes and Kylie Jenner, designers and manner manufacture giants to grant beryllium champion successful design.

The last grant of nan nighttime went to Rachel Scott of Diotima for womenswear designer of nan year. Scott was overwhelmed pinch emotion while accepting her grant and thanked her mother and nan women successful Jamaica, wherever she is from, who crochet her designs.

“I’ve spent truthful overmuch of my profession connected creation teams truthful I’m really unaccustomed to this recognition,” she said.

Scott, known for her exquisite knitted designs, was awarded nan emerging designer of nan twelvemonth grant successful 2023.

Popstar Troye Sivan presented nan menswear designer of nan twelvemonth grant to Willy Chavarria, making this his 2nd menswear win. Chavarria said it’s a unusual clip for him moving connected his autumn/winter 2025 postulation pinch an upcoming predetermination truthful close.

“I do cognize truthful galore group successful this room are very concerned astir their rights,” he said. “Diversity successful humanity makes america overmuch stronger.”

This year, Chavarria was up against Mike Amiri of Amiri, Emily Adams Bode Aujla of Bode, Thom Browne and Todd Snyder for nan award.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand opened nan nighttime by encouraging nan influencers, manner designers and celebrities eating successful nan room to pat into their corporate power to thrust their pursuing to nan polls connected Tuesday. “If we aftermath up connected Wednesday and we dont admit this country, and we didn’t time off it retired connected nan field, we person nary 1 to blasted but ourselves.”

Designer and CFDA president Thom Browne besides drove location nan connection of voting: “Fashion for illustration populist is astir choice.”

Actor Molly Gordon and designer Brandon Maxwell presented nan grant for emerging designer of nan twelvemonth grant to Russian-born designer Henry Zankov, who is known for his colorful knitwear. (Maxwell arsenic a erstwhile emerging designer winner.)

Other contenders for grant were see Presley Oldham of Presley Oldham, Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell of Tanner Fletcher, Jackson Wiederhoeft of Wiederhoeft and Connor McKnight.

Celebrity duo Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie teamed up to coming nan grant for accessory designer of nan twelvemonth to Raul Lopez of Laur. Lopez said nan triumph is for everyone for illustration him, who grew up nan kid of immigrants.

“I’m conscionable a alloy successful this manufacture to guideline nan kids that travel aft maine to spot they tin do it to,” he said.

Lopez hit retired nominees Ana Khouri, Stuart Vevers for Coach, Catherine Holstein for Khaite and Tory Burch.

Another icon shaking up nan manner industry, Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli was honored arsenic nan world designer of nan year. Roseberry’s designs person been dominating reddish carpets pinch Schiaparelli’s unconventional couture and surrealist popular of golden embellishments. Actor Nicole Kidman stunned astatine nan Venice Film Festival erstwhile she walked nan carpet successful 1 of Schiaparelli’s couture corseted looks pinch beaded fringe and a deconstructed neckline.

Roseberry is nan first American to lead a French couture company.

Badu joined nan ranks of celebrities for illustration Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian and Zendaya who were honored successful years past pinch nan CFDA’s manner icon honor.