Dominican designer Raúl López, who is based in Brooklyn, has been nominated for the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in the United States fashion industry, organized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
López, founder of the label Luar, will compete for American Accessories Designer of the Year alongside Ana Khouri; Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen of The Row; Sophie Buhai; and Stuart Vevers of Coach.
The nomination marks a new recognition of the career of the Dominican-born designer, who has built Luar into a label that blends his cultural identity, the energy of New York City and a contemporary, personal vision of fashion.
The 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards, presented by Amazon Fashion, will be held on November 2 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Other Categories
According to the CFDA, the nominees for American Designer of the Year in womenswear are Catherine Holstein of Khaite; Michael Kors; Rachel Scott of Diotima; Tory Burch; and Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera.
In the American Designer of the Year category for menswear, the nominees are Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School New York; Ralph Lauren; Thom Browne; Todd Snyder; and Willy Chavarria.
The nominees for the Google American Emerging Designer of the Year award are Colleen Allen; Emily Dawn Long; Julia Ferentinos of Juju Vera; Julian Louie of Aubero; and Zane Li of Lii.
Special Honors
Beyond the competitive categories, the CFDA also announced several special honors. Anthony Vaccarello, creative director of Saint Laurent, will receive the International Designer of the Year award, while photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin will be honored with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.
Steven Kolb, chief executive and president of the CFDA, said the CFDA Fashion Awards represent a defining moment for American creativity, bringing the community together to recognize designers and creative voices whose talent, vision and originality continue to drive the industry.
Kolb added that this year felt especially significant, as it celebrated the extraordinary breadth of American creativity and its influence on culture worldwide. He said the organization was proud to honor those shaping fashion today while building a platform that inspires and supports the generation that will define its future.
