2010 CFDA Fashion Awards Presented in New York

Marc Jacobs Wins Top Prize
Evening Generously Underwritten By Swarovski
Awards held at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center

NEW YORK, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -->http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100608/NY17365 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100608/NY17365 )

Alexa Chung and Ed Westwick presented all three Swarovski Awards which
honor and recognize emerging talent. The Swarovski Award for Womenswear was
given to Jason Wu. The Swarovski Award for Menswear was presented to
Richard Chai. The Swarovski Award for Accessory Design went to Alexander
Wang. Recipients in each category will receive generous financial support
from the company as well as exposure to the company's vast and innovative
crystal products and applications for fashion.

The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Michael
Kors by Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of Vogue.

The late Alexander McQueen was honored with the Board of Directors'
Special Tribute Award by Sarah Jessica Parker for his indelible
contribution to international fashion. A live presentation of his final
sixteen looks were shown on models who appeared on a custom-built stage by
Tony-Award winning set designer Scott Pask. This presentation was the first
time the collection has been seen in its entirety since its original
presentation in Paris in March 2010. The set featured the "Schonbek® Olde
World Chandelier," a glass-arm chandelier with the most number of Swarovski
crystal pendants in the world due to its special design and patented
methods.

Christopher Bailey for Burberry was recognized with this year's
International Award presented by Donna Karan. The Eleanor Lambert Award was
presented to Vogue Fashion Director Tonne Goodman by Caroline Kennedy.
Paper magazine's founding Editor & Publisher Kim Hastreiter was honored
with the Eugenia Sheppard Award for excellence in journalism, presented by
Brooke Shields. Iman was presented with the Fashion Icon Award by Isabella
Rossellini.

As part of the CFDA's commitment to design education, the Geoffrey
Beene Design Scholarship winner Carmen Chen Wu, the Liz Claiborne Fashion
Scholarship winner Jusil Carroll, and the CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship
winner Nicole Goh were acknowledged from the stage by CFDA executive
director Steven Kolb.

This year also marked the second annual Popular Vote Award sponsored by
L'Oreal Paris. Through a website hosted by wwd.com, the public was given
the opportunity to vote for its favorite fashion designer. An overwhelming
number of votes were cast. L'Oreal Paris Spokesperson and CFDA Health
Initiative representative Doutzen Kroes announced the winner of this year's
Popular Vote Award to Ralph Lauren.

CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg told the sold-out theater,
"Tonight is the night we designers and members of the industry salute our
peers and celebrate their talents. We are a family." She then went on to
speak about the organization's accomplishments over the past year,
including raising $1 million for the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, launching the
CFDA Fashion Incubator, working with the Design Trust on the Garment
District, lobbying for copyright protection through the establishment of
the Fashion Law Institute, and the continued growth of services for CFDA's
350 members.

In addition to the nominees and honorees, some of the most influential
names in American fashion were in attendance including CFDA President Diane
von Furstenberg, Albertus Swanepoel, Alexander Wang, Michael Bastian,
Joseph Altuzarra, Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen, Behnaz Sarafpour, Betsey
Johnson, Brian Atwood, Carolina Herrera, Catherine Malandrino, Chris Benz,
Cynthia Rowley, David Chu, Derek Lam, Deborah Lloyd, Donna Karan, Doo-Ri
Chung, Elie Tahari, Francisco Costa, Gilles Mendel, Isabel Toledo, Italo
Zucchelli, Jenna Lyons, Jill Stuart, John Bartlett, John Varvatos, Kate &
Laura Mulleavy, Kenneth Cole, Max Azria, Narciso Rodriguez, Nicole Miller,
Norma Kamali, Oscar de la Renta, Patrick Robinson, Peter Som, Philip
Crangi, Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, Rachel Roy, Rafe Totengco, Rebecca
Taylor, Reed Krakoff, Richard Lambertson, Sam Shipley, Sophie Buhai, CFDA's
Executive Director Steven Kolb, Stan Herman, Thom Browne, Tory Burch, Tracy
Reese, Vera Wang, Yeohlee Teng, Yigal Azrouel, and Zac Posen.

They joined VIP's such as Aerin Lauder, Alexa Chung, Alexis Bledel,
Alina Cho, Alison Pill, Anna Wintour, Anthony Mackie, Bernadette Peters,
Brooke Shields, Caroline Kennedy, Daisy Lowe, Dakota Fanning, David Bowie,
Devon Aoki, Ed Westwick, Emilie de Ravin, Fabiola Beracasa, Gwyneth
Paltrow, Hayden Christensen, Iris Apfel, Isabella Rossellini, Jessica Biel,
Joan Collins, Josh Beech, Kate Mara, Liya Kebede, Maggie Grace, Matthew
Modine, Mario Testino, Max Ryan, Michelle Trachtenberg, Molly Sims, Nadja
Swarovski, Paz de la Huerta, Rachel Weisz, Rachel Zoe, Sarah Jessica
Parker, Vanessa Traina, Victoria Traina, Whitney Port, and Zachary Quinto.
Models included Anja Rubik, Carmen Kass, Doutzen Kroes, Dree Hemingway,
Irina Lazareanu, Hilary Rhoda, Heidi Mount, Hana Soukupova, Jamie Bochert,
Jessica Stam, Joan Smalls, Ling Tan, Lara Stone, Natasa Vojnovic, Sara
Ziff, Stella Tennant and Sasha Pivovarova. Many guests arrived in the
Jaguar XJ Sedan, which was also featured in the Accessory Designer of the
Year Award film.

As guests entered Alice Tully Hall, they were greeted by an assemblage
of 45 models staged across the grand outdoor staircase in front of the
atrium, with each model wearing a design by the three nominees for the
Womenswear Designer of the Year Award.

"The diversity and originality of American fashion is demonstrated by
those honored with CFDA Fashion Awards," said CFDA Executive Director
Steven Kolb. "The collective work of this celebrated group reflects the
depth of accomplishment and enduring influence of American fashion."

"Swarovski is once again honored to have been a part of such an
incredible evening," said Nadja Swarovski, Vice President of International
Communications, Swarovski. "We send our most sincere congratulations to all
the honorees and winners. In keeping with Swarovski's commitment to foster
fashion's brightest emerging stars, we are especially looking forward to
working with this year's Swarovski Award winners."

With the announcement of the 2010 Swarovski Award nominees in March,
Swarovski approached each designer with an opportunity to create the
ultimate Swarovski piece to celebrate the category for which they were
nominated. The designers went to work, utilizing Swarovski's crystals,
trims, and beads to evolve their ideas for what is now part of an exclusive
compilation entitled: The CFDA Swarovski Award Collection. The collection
will be sold with proceeds benefitting the CFDA's educational initiatives.
As each designer turned their sketch into a reality, Swarovski and film
directors Josh Melnick and Xander Charity documented the process by
creating a short film, BRILLIANT, which debuted during last night's
ceremony.

KCD produced the event, and the journal and graphics were designed by
Trey Laird of Laird + Partners.

Nominees, honorees, and winners were determined by a selection
committee comprised of CFDA members, leading fashion journalists, stylists,
and top retail executives. Ernst & Young LLP was the official accounting
firm of the Awards.

Additionally, the CFDA would like to acknowledge the companies that
added to the success of this year's event:

Official airline: Continental Airlines

Official hotel: W Hotels Worldwide

Official car: Jaguar Cars North America

Official water: FIJI Water

Wine, Champagne, and Spirits provided by: Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits

The winners and honorees of the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards: Womenswear
Designer of the Year

Marc Jacobs

Menswear Designer of the Year

David Neville & Marcus Wainwright for Rag & Bone

Accessory Designer of the Year

Alexis Bittar

Swarovski Award for Womenswear

Jason Wu

Swarovski Award for Menswear

Richard Chai

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design

Alexander Wang

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award

Michael Kors

International Award

Christopher Bailey for Burberry

Eugenia Sheppard Award

Kim Hastreiter, Editor & Publisher, Paper magazine

Eleanor Lambert Award

Tonne Goodman, Fashion Director, Vogue

Fashion Icon Award

Iman

Board of Directors' Special Tribute

Alexander McQueen

For high resolution images and all media needs please go to
patrickmcmullan.com.

About the CFDA

The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA) is a
not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of more than 340
of America's foremost fashion, jewelry and accessory designers. CFDA
Foundation, Inc. is a separate not-for-profit organization, which was
organized to raise funds for charity and industry activities. For more
information, visit http://www.cfda.com.

About Swarovski

In 1895, Daniel Swarovski I, a Bohemian inventor and visionary, moved
to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his newly-invented
machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewelry stones. From this
beginning that revolutionized the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be
the world's leading producer of precision-cut crystal, for fashion, jewelry
and more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the company,
still based in Wattens, family-owned and run by 4th and 5th generation
family members, has a global reach, with some 24,800 employees, a presence
in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2009 of 2.25 billion Euros.
Swarovski comprises two major businesses, one producing and selling loose
elements to the industry and the other creating design- driven finished
products. Swarovski crystal components, known by their product brand names
CRYSTALLIZED(TM) - Swarovski Elements for fashion and STRASS® Swarovski®
Crystal for architecture and light, have become an essential ingredient of
international design. Since 1965 the company has also catered to the fine
jewelry industry with precision-cut genuine and created gemstones, and from
April 2008 has strengthened this relationship by revitalizing and renaming
the product brand ENLIGHTENED(TM) - Swarovski Elements. Showing the
creativity that lies at the heart of the company, Swarovski's own-brand
lines of accessories, jewelry and home decor are sold through more than
1.800 retail outlets in all major fashion capitals. The exclusive Daniel
Swarovski accessories collection has meanwhile become the company's couture
signature. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 350,000 members
worldwide, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines. And in
Wattens, Swarovski Kristallwelten, the multi-media crystal museum, was
opened in 1995, as a celebration of Swarovski's universe of innovation and
inspiration. The Swarovski corporation also includes Tyrolit®,
manufacturing grinding tools, Swareflex, for road safety reflectors, and
Swarovski Optik, producing precision optical instruments.

About Lincoln Center

Beginning this September, Lincoln Center will be the new home of
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The move to Lincoln Center has allowed IMG
Fashion to unveil event upgrades such as modernized production capabilities
for designers, digital services concurrent with the advanced needs of the
21st Century, better accessibility for attendees through both public and
private transportation, and great resources/facilities on-site and in the
surrounding areas.

For the first time, Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park will provide the
fashion industry with a centralized location for activities in and around
the tents. While the tents will be the hub of activity, Lincoln Center's
twenty-two venues will also be available for ancillary consumer and
industry events such as exhibitions, presentations and parties. Moreover,
plans are well underway to welcome the fashion community year-round through
additional special events and innovative partnerships.

Lincoln Center is the world's leading performing arts complex,
representing the highest standards of excellence in opera, symphonic and
chamber music, theater, dance, film, and arts education.

Over the past few years, Lincoln Center has undergone a $1 billion
transformation, resulting in a campus that is not only aesthetically
spectacular, but also extremely accessible. Lincoln Center's global
visibility, beautiful and multi-functional event spaces, and technological
infrastructure will ensure that patrons will have a dynamic (and endless)
array of opportunities to engage with the art of fashion throughout the
year.