Georgian-born designer Demna Gvasalia received the International Women's Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in the association's 2021 Fashion Awards in New York City on Wednesday.
Emerging ahead of the likes of Daniel Lee, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, Gvasalia, representing Balenciaga, earned the prize in a ceremony held at the city's The Pool+The Grill venue, where the non-profit organisation established in the 1960s hosted the annual event.
The Georgian creative received the award from American model Paloma Elsesser, with the list of nominees for the prize also including Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino and Simon Porte Jacquemus for Jacquemus.
In his acceptance speech, Gvasalia said it was an "honour" to receive the honour 10 years after receiving his first design job in Paris, adding he felt like being "on a mission to challenge the rules and bring fashion forward."
The award has been bestowed on Gvasalia for the second time, with the designer also distinguished in 2017.
In the list of recent prizes awarded to the fashion professional, the CFDA award follows the Medal of Honour state prize of Georgia, handed to him by President Salome Zurabishvili in September.