Supreme Scores at the 2018 CFDA Awards
- Words Anteneh Gebre
- Date June 5, 2018
In a surprising turn of events, Supreme’s James Jebbia beat out menswear giants Raf Simons, Thom Browne and Tom Ford—as well as the ceaselessly-trending Virgil Abloh—for the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award.
It’s a peculiar victory, especially given that—while receiving his statuette—Jebbia stated from the podium: “I’ve never considered Supreme to be a fashion company or myself a designer.”
Last night’s CFDA Awards show at the Brooklyn Museum was, in some ways, much the same as it ever was. Fashion and Hollywood’s elite made their presence known, with guests such as Oprah, Lupita Nyong’o, Raf Simons, Naomi Campbell and Donatella Versace (to name a few). Ralph Lauren once again claimed his rightful place among America’s fashion elite, scoring the first-ever “CFDA Members Salute” because—as Diane von Furstenburg explained to The New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman—“Mr. Lauren had ‘already won everything else’" (Also worth noting: Ralph Lauren's incredible outfit).
But, as Friedman explained, the night was also about changing the conversation from fashion design to fashion ‘relevancy.’ For a brand like Supreme, its rapidly expanding audience largely thrives on the label’s organic ‘coolness’ and authenticity. A statement, like the aforementioned acceptance from Jebbia, is just another example that the man and his brand aren’t pretending to be something they’re not.
It’s this bid to understand and tap into what modern consumers want that has beguiled the fashion industry of late, especially here in New York. Understanding the power of the #influencer is likely the reason the first-ever CFDA Influencer award was handed out last night. Naturally, Kim Kardashian West was the inaugural recipient.
If nothing else, the fact that these attendees made this type of he ruckus for an NYC skate brand made the moment that much sweeter. For years, streetwear and high fashion have grown closer together and James Jebbia winning this award—one typically reserved for the Tom Fords and Thom Brownes of the fashion world—makes this a true watershed moment for streetwear as a whole. Similar high-minded statements were made back when Supreme collaborated with Louis Vuitton; leave it to the box logo to break the conventions of the fashion world, much less the internet.
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