Awards season isn’t over yet.
On Tuesday evening, the Fashion Trust U.S. hosted its fourth annual awards ceremony celebrating emerging designers. The dress code, elusively: “Fashion.”
In West Hollywood, a mix of faces — actors, musicians, influencers and athletes, both seasoned and young — lined the red carpet (that was actually pink) in their own interpretations of the theme. In L.A., style is unique because it is miscellaneous. There is no better city to embody a dynamic prompt like “fashion.”
The carpet saw big names like Kali Uchis in Vlora Mustafa, Lake Bell in Rick Owens, Chrissy Teigen in Balenciaga, Bethenny Frankel in Valentino and Emma Chamberlain in Mugler, alongside fresh designs by the nights’ 16 finalists.
Kelechukwu Mpamaugo, a finalist in the graduate category, wore her high school prom dress. “It’s the first design I ever made, before I even went into fashion,” she said. “I’ve only worn it once, so why not?”
The fishtail halter dress, made from an African wax Akara fabric picked out by Mpamaugo’s mother, was a medley of shapes, patterns and colors. “It’s giving Afro-futurism,” she said.
Keith Herron, a finalist in the ready-to-wear category, was head-to-toe in Advisry, his own brand. Fashion, to him, is simply waking up and getting dressed. “Hopefully I’m on theme,” he says, “I wore clothes today.”
Josefina Baillères, a finalist in the jewelry category who took home the award later that night, wore a simple mesh tunic. On her neck sat a hand-carved quartz crystal in the shape of the Virgin Mary. Encased in blue chalcedony, set with diamonds and hung from a black silk ribbon, the piece is a contemporary interpretation of Baillères’ Mexican heritage. To her, jewelry completes any look as “the cherry on top.”
The ceremony honored achievements in fashion across several categories including ready-to-wear, jewelry, accessories, graduate design and sustainability. Winners took home a shared grant of $600,000 and will receive ongoing mentorship from Fashion Trust U.S. and Google.
Tory Burch won designer of the year, presented by her longtime friend Pamela Anderson. While Michèle Lamy, who was FaceTiming husband Rick Owens during the ceremony, was recognized for lifetime achievement in design and culture, and accompanied on stage by Travis Scott and Erykah Badu, who called her “the poster child for avant-garde, for exceptional freedom.”
Hosted by comedian and actor Ego Nwodim, the emerald-walled ballroom saw Lykke Li perform beloved classics, including “Little Bit” and “I Follow Rivers,” while guests, in true L.A. fashion, dined on pasta and meatballs from Jon and Vinny’s.
Bobby Kim, recently named global creative director of Disney and a judge on the Fashion Trust U.S. 2026 advisory board, was excited to see the work of emerging designers. “I’m here to listen to their stories,” he said. “And get some direction on where the future of fashion is headed.” He wore KidSuper, who he called the epitome of art. “Fashion is art, anyways,” he added.
Rei Ami embodied “divine feminine” in a look by Joseph Altuzarra featuring an abstract imprint of the female form. Her stylist, Ayumi Perry, said fashion is “free.” “You can truly play and explore your personality through clothing,” she said. “I have no limitations when it comes to that.”
Stylist Bea Åkerlund dressed herself and her “bestie” Fergie. “I don’t go by fashion,” Åkerlund said. “I go by feeling.”
The post From Fergie to Michèle Lamy, here’s how guests showed up for the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
