FGI RISING STAR AWARDS DATE, KEYNOTE, AND PRESENTERS CONFIRMED
Fashion Group International (FGI) will reveal the winners of the 2022 Rising Star Awards at a luncheon on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, from 11 am to 2 pm at The Lighthouse, Pier Sixty-One on the Hudson. As in years past, the ticketed, red-carpet event is expected to attract some of the biggest names in the New York fashion world to attend and celebrate fashion’s next great designers.
Iconic artist, author, and designer Rebecca Moses will offer keynote remarks, and the high-profile slate of presenters will include Kerby Jean-Raymond (pictured above, accepting his Rising Star Award in 2014), Freddie Leiba, Ken Downing, Marc Hruschka, Jason Wu, and Gary Wassner among other industry luminaries.
“FGI has a mission and passion to support the next generation of creators, in apparel, beauty, and aligned industries,” says Maryanne Grisz, FGI President and CEO. “Emerging from our industry’s time of prolonged introspection and artistic evolution, we welcome new creativity and hope for an inspired future.”
The annual design competition event, now in its 26th year, is an extension of FGI’s ongoing mission to connect and support the fashion diaspora with vital career resources and connections for long-term success. In many cases, the competition offers first time brand exposure to tastemakers and industry leaders, as finalists have been in business not more than six years. Past Rising Star Awards winners have gone on to great acclaim and success, including Jason Wu, Tory Burch, Joseph Altuzarra, Phillip Lim, Brandon Maxwell, Thom Brown, Bond No. 9, Warby Parker, Dylan Lauren of Dylan’s Candy Bar, and Jennifer Fleiss and Jennifer Hyman of Rent the Runway, to name a few.
FGI is proud to recognize this year’s President’s Award for Excellence honoree, Fashion Designer Byron Lars, whose new brand, In Earnest, exemplifies modern reinvention in today’s changing times. The award will be co-presented by Tracy Reese and Lisa Arrindell. Savitude CEO Karen Williams will receive the Hilldun Business Innovation Award, presented by Gary Wassner. The Entrepreneur of the Year Award is awarded to Cole Wassner, CEO of Wassner Management Group, in recognition of his unique brand partnerships encompassing fashion, film, retail, and art. The Diesel Sustainability Award winner will be announced at the luncheon, presented by Andrea Rosso. Sponsors include Hearst Magazines, Hilldun Corporation, Diesel, and Pullquest. For tickets and further information, see fgi.org.
