Ralph Lauren has been named American Menswear Designer of the Year at the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards, adding another major honour to one of the longest careers in fashion. The 87-year-old founder of Polo Ralph Lauren received the award at a ceremony held on Monday, November 2, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The prize was presented by actor Matt Damon and designer Tremaine Emory, according to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which organises the awards, often described as the “Oscars of American fashion.”
Who he beat
Lauren beat a strong field of nominees: Thom Browne, who is also chairman of the CFDA; Todd Snyder; Willy Chavarria; and Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School New York, whose nomination marked the label’s return to the category after nearly a decade, MR Magazine reported.
Winners in the competitive categories are chosen by the CFDA Fashion Awards Guild, an invitation-only group of designers, editors, journalists, retail executives and stylists.
A record-setting career
The award is Lauren’s third menswear win, after 1996 and 2007. It comes only a year after he was named American Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2025, his second win in that category following 1995, according to MR Magazine.
He is the only designer to have received all of the CFDA’s top honours: Lifetime Achievement, Menswear Designer of the Year, Womenswear Designer of the Year and Retailer of the Year. In January 2025 he also became the first fashion designer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour.
In his acceptance speech, Lauren looked back to the beginning of his business. “Almost sixty years ago, I started with a tie, but it was never just about a tie,” he said, as reported by MR Magazine. He shared the award with his menswear team.
Born in the Bronx in 1939, Lauren started out selling neckties in the late 1960s and built Polo Ralph Lauren into a global brand known for its classic, preppy American style and the famous polo player logo. The company now sells clothing, home goods and fragrances around the world.
The other winners
According to the CFDA’s official announcement, the other main winners were:
- American Womenswear Designer of the Year: Rachel Scott of Diotima, presented by Lupita Nyong’o and Francisco Costa.
- American Accessory Designer of the Year: Ana Khouri.
- Emerging Designer of the Year: Colleen Allen.
- International Designer of the Year: Anthony Vaccarello of Saint Laurent.
- Positive Change Award: Tory Burch, presented by Anna Wintour.
- Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.
The ceremony was hosted by actress Keke Palmer and also marked the 30th anniversary of the CFDA Scholarship Fund.
Why it matters
Lauren’s win shows the lasting influence of classic American tailoring at a time when much of the industry chases fast-changing trends. For young designers, including the growing number of African and Nigerian creatives working in New York, London and Lagos, his story of building a global empire from a single product remains an example of what consistency and a clear brand identity can achieve.
Sources: CFDA (via PR Newswire), MR Magazine, Fashionista, DRIP.
