Designer Demna Gvasalia honoured with US association global fashion prize

Award-winning Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia was announced among winners of this year’s Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awards this week, adding another international prize to his growing collection.

The creative director of Balenciaga and head designer at Vetements will be presented with the International Award of the prestigious US trade association on June 5 along with other designers unveiled in the winners’ list on Thursday.

An announcement from the CFDA revealed Gvasalia was selected among winners of the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards in recognition of his "creative contribution to the international fashion stage”.

The International Award goes to Demna Gvasalia of @vetements_official ! #CFDAAwardspic.twitter.com/bvHy8LLtuD

— CFDA (@CFDA) March 23, 2017

The 35-year old Georgian will become the first fashion designer from the former Soviet countries to receive the coveted prize later this year.

The International Award was one of the six prizes handed out to designers including American designer Rick Owens (honoured with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award) and British makeup artist Pat McGrath (The Founder’s Award).

They were revealed alongside nominees for other honours by the CFDA at New York’s Ramscale Studios on Thursday.

The winners of the annual award list were unveiled after a two-week voting by nearly 1,500 fashion professionals and critics.

Gvasalia first rose to international recognition with his work for Vetements. Photo: Demna Gvasalia Daily/Facebook.

Bringing together over 500 prominent American designers, the CFDA hosts its annual Fashion Awards in addition to organising New York Fashion Week: Men’s.

Founded in 1962, the CFDA’s board of directors features celebrated industry professionals including Michael Kors and Vera Wang.

Demna Gvasalia has been under global fashion spotlight since his appointment as the creative director of Paris-based fashion house Balenciaga in 2015.

The young creator collected two awards, including the one for International Ready-to-Wear Designer of the Year, at the 2016 British Fashion Council Fashion Awards.

The designer was honoured with prestigious awards and critical acclaim throughout 2016. Photo: Le 21eme.

Gvasalia was also named 2016 Person of the Year by The Business of Fashion magazine in December last year.

The Georgian first broke into the international fashion scene with his innovative creative vision at Vetements, an underground Paris label he founded in 2014.

His work at the label was noticed by Balenciaga, with the designer picked by the famous brand to replace outgoing American designer Alexander Wang as the new creative director in October 2015.

Gvasalia is a graduate of the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the Netherlands.