Updated posts 2026
As the spring soiree season is back in high gear, a well-heeled crowd turned out for the 26th annual Fashion Group International (FGI) Rising Star Awards on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at The Lighthouse at Pier Sixty-One. This red carpet event gathered FGI members and executives along with some of the biggest names in the New York fashion world who came to celebrate fashion’s stand-out new design stars in womenswear, menswear, all gender accessories, fine jewelry, beauty, and sustainability.
FGI board members, Rising Star nominees, and friends were joined by notable figures of New York society and the fashion scene, including Vera Wang, Fern Mallis, Robert Verdi, actress Nazanin Boniadi, and Lynn Yaeger, as well as Jean Shafiroff, Gillian Hearst, Robert Verdi, Linda Fargo, Constance White, Teri Agins, Anna Rothschild, Marcus Teo, and Patty Raynes.
Iconic artist, author, and designer Rebecca Moses offered keynote remarks, while a high-profile slate of presenters offered inspiring words and award presentations to special award winners and FGI Rising Stars in a number of categories:
- Actress Lisa Arrindell and Tracy Reese co-presented the FGI President’s Award for Excellence to Fashion Designer Byron Lars for his company In Ernest
- Gary Wassner presented the Hilldun Business Innovation Award to Savitude CEO Karen Williams
- Designer Jason Wu presented the Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Cole Wassner, CEO of Wassner Management Group
- Diesel Sustainability Ambassador Andrea Rosso presented the Diesel Sustainability Award to Mimi Prober
- ELLE Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia presented the FGI Rising Star Award in Womenswear to Frederick Anderson
- American fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond presented the FGI Rising Star Award in Menswear to Christian Juul Nielsen for AKNVAS
- Graff President and CEO North America Marc Hruschka presented the FGI Rising Star Award for Fine Jewelry to Julie Lamb
Stylist and Creative Director Freddie Leiba presented the FGI Rising Star Award for Accessories to Betzabe Gonzalez for Mia Becar
Publicist, author, and TV personality Kelly Cutrone presented the FGI Rising Star Award for All Gender to Tristan Detwiler for Stan
In a surprise tie, Chief Brand Officer Hearst Luxury Collections E-Commerce Ken Downing presented the FGI Rising Star Award for New Retail to both Nyakio Grieco for Thirteen Lune and Nancy Volpe Beringer for The Vault by Volpe Beringer
Beauty entrepreneur and celebrity makeup artist Keita Moore presented the FGI Rising Star Award in Beauty to Mantas Butkus in absentia
Maryanne Grisz, FGI President and CEO: “I was incredibly inspired by the profound words of our keynote speaker Rebecca Moses and our presenters: messages of support and wise insight into the path of a creative. All of the finalists and winners exemplified hope and the future of our industry.”
The six-year eligibility window is what gives this competition its particular weight. Fashion labels tend to reach a critical juncture somewhere in that span, when the initial press attention has faded but the business has not yet secured the wholesale accounts and production financing needed to sustain itself. Recognition at that moment can determine whether a designer finds backing or quietly closes, which is why an award given early in a career often matters more than honors that arrive once success is assured.
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.
This year’s sponsors include Hearst Magazines, Hilldun Corporation, Diesel, and Pullquest.
