Daily Front Row

2010 June 17

Rodarte Wins Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award

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Laura (left) and Kate Mulleavy
PatrickMcMullan.com View Gallery

(NEW YORK) It's (another) good day for Kate and Laura Mulleavy. Today, Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum director Bill Moggridge announced that Rodarte has won the 2010 National Design Award for fashion, beating out finalists Proenza Schouler and Behnaz Sarafpour, not to mention the dozens of nominees. The Mulleavys will receive their honor at the National Design Awards gala dinner on Thursday, October 14 at Cipriani 42nd Street. First Lady Michelle Obama will serve as the event's honorary patron; the Awards are made possible in part by Bloomberg and Procter & Gamble. National Design Week, which runs from October 9-17, is made possible in part by Target. 

Winners are chosen by a jury of 2,500 designers, educators, journalists, cultural figures and corporate leaders from all states in the nation. The criteria used to evaluate the candidates, who must have 7 years' experience in order to be nominated? "Excellence, innovation, and enhancement of the quality of life." Calvin Klein Collection's Francisco Costa took home the top fashion honor in 2009; other winners include Ralph Rucci, Zac Posen, and Thom Browne.

By now, the Mulleavys are more than familiar with the Cooper-Hewitt and its mission. Their designs constituted an exhibition, Quicktake: Rodarte, which was on view from February 11 to March 14, 2010. It was toasted with a blowout bash during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week attended by the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Natalie Portman. The National Design Award will be the second A-list honor for Rodarte; they were named the CFDA's Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2009.
ASHLEY BAKER