On Wednesday, September 5, the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT hosted its annual luncheon, honoring Narciso Rodriguez with the 2018 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. Angela Dotson and Jean Shafiroff co-chaired this year’s event, which raised $850,000 for The Museum at FIT and was held at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
Author and philanthropist Jessica Seinfeld presented Rodriguez with the award, which he received for his lifelong dedication to the art and craft of fashion. During her remarks, Seinfeld shared, “Narciso Rodriguez designs clothing to make women feel strong and beautiful. He designs with integrity, ingenuity, longevity, and elegant simplicity, and that is why he is here.”
Rodriguez tearfully accepted the award, saying: “Throughout my career, I have been asked what is my greatest accomplishment. For me it hasn’t been one specific moment, it has been fulfilling the dream of that optimistic young student [referring to himself as a student]. I’d also like to take this moment to thank my parents, who worked so hard as young immigrants so I would have the opportunity to succeed. To stand here today is their dream come true, as well as mine.”
Attendees of the luncheon included FIT President Joyce F. Brown; Museum at FIT Director Dr. Valerie Steele; FIT Trustees Liz Peek and Joan Hornig; FIT Foundation Director Fern Mallis; Olivia Palermo; Stephanie March; Martha Stewart; Inez and Vinoodh; Fe Fendi; Yaz Hernández; Audrey Gruss; and Kamie Lightburn.
The Couture Council is a philanthropic membership group that helps support the museum to mount world-class exhibitions of fashion, to acquire important objects for its permanent collection, and to organize public programs.