The CFDA has announced this year’s nominees for its Designer of the Year Awards.
The CFDA has unveiled the nominees for its 2025 Designer of the Year Awards, highlighting top talent across American fashion. Wes Gordon, Rachel Scott, Daniella Kallmeyer, Ralph Lauren, and Tory Burch are in contention for Womenswear Designer of the Year, while Menswear nominees include Mike Amiri, Eckhaus Latta, The Row, Thom Browne, and Willy Chavarria. Ana Khouri, Catherine Holstein, Raul Lopez, The Row, and Tory Burch compete for Accessory Designer of the Year, and the Emerging Designer category features Taylor Thompson, Ashlynn Park, Julian Louie, Bernard James, and Colleen Allen. In addition to these nominees, the CFDA will honor Ralph Rucci with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award and recognize leaders such as Donatella Versace and Pieter Mulier for their contributions to fashion and industry advocacy.
Instead of a forced sale to cover its $300 million debt SSENSE has been permitted to restructure.
A court ruling in Québec has allowed SSENSE to pursue a restructuring plan instead of being forced into a sale to cover its debt. The Montreal-based retailer, which filed for Canada’s equivalent of bankruptcy protection, now has the breathing room to address $371 million in obligations while seeking additional funding. The company cited U.S. tariffs and the loss of the de minimis tax loophole as major challenges that contributed to declining sales and cash flow issues. Moving forward, SSENSE must rethink its business strategy, including refreshing its product mix and revitalizing its approach to the Gen-Z luxury market in order to stabilize and grow the company independently.
Blaise Pascal’s Pascaline, the oldest known mechanical calculator, is heading for auction in November.
Christie’s will auction a functioning Pascaline, Blaise Pascal’s 1642 calculating machine, in Paris this November—a sale that will mark the only privately owned model devoted to survey calculations. Built when Pascal was 19 to help his father manage complex tax computations, the device represents one of the earliest breakthroughs in mechanical calculation. Only nine original Pascalines survive, most housed in European museums, making this auction a rare opportunity for collectors. The machine carries an estimate of $2.3 to $3.5 million and will be displayed in Paris, New York, and Hong Kong prior to the sale.
L.A.’s “Cultural Olympiad,” intended to accompany the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, is lagging.
Arts leaders in Los Angeles are raising concerns that the city’s Cultural Olympiad, intended to complement the 2028 Olympic Games, is far behind schedule. Three years out, LA28 has assigned only two staff members, lacks dedicated fundraising, and has not yet announced a cohesive plan. Critics warn that relying on preexisting programming instead of commissioning new works risks undermining the city’s chance to showcase its cultural vitality on a global stage. While organizers emphasize budget control and promise a full program, many in the arts community fear time is slipping away to develop meaningful projects that could elevate Los Angeles.
Financial filings from Sotheby’s parent company have revealed a $248 million loss at the auction house.
Sotheby’s posted a $248 million loss in 2024, more than double the previous year, as the auction house faced a slowdown in the art market and unusually high severance costs. Revenue from commissions and fees fell 18 percent to $813 million, reflecting weakened demand from collectors amid geopolitical and trade pressures. The company paid $29.2 million in severance despite only reducing its staff by 24 employees. Owner Patrick Drahi, who took Sotheby’s private in 2019, has sought outside funding, including a deal with Abu Dhabi’s ADQ sovereign wealth fund, to support the auction house’s turnaround.
Today’s attractive distractions:
During New York Fashion Fashion Week, J.Crew stepped 40 years back in time.
10 Corso Como is gearing up for a “visual orgy” of fashion photography by Glen Luchford.
The design girls can’t stop talking about Ikea’s new Billy bookshelf-desk.
The looks in this new indie horror flick high-key serve.
