Gabriela Hearst and Joseph Altuzarra have been named to the board of directors of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
A CFDA member since 2012, Hearst grew up on the family’s 17,000-acre ranch in Uruguay surrounded by horses, cattle and sheep where the idea of luxury meant things were beautifully crafted and meant to last. In 2015, after more than a decade in design in New York, Hearst launched an eponymous brand that reflects a slower pace and process based around luxury with a conscience.
Altuzarra, who became a CFDA member in 2013, was born and raised in Paris by a Chinese-American mother and French father. After refining his approach to tailoring and draping at design houses across Europe and the U.S., he founded Altuzarra in New York in 2008.
“It is an honor to welcome Gabriela and Joseph, who each cultivated a language of luxury that is at once personal and attuned to the world around them, to the CFDA board,” said Steven Kolb, president and chief executive officer of the CFDA. “Their voices bring a thoughtful perspective on craft, responsibility and the future of design. I look forward to their contributions to the board and the dialogue ahead.”
“I have been a member of the CFDA since 2012. I actually launched Gabriela Hearst with the help of a CFDA program that would pair starting designers with MBA students,” said Hearst. “I thank Steven Kolb, Thom Browne [chairman of the CFDA] and the CFDA board for this honor, and I take this duty with a sense of service to all members but especially to the young, as the future is theirs.”
“Joining the CFDA board is a tremendous honor,” said Altuzarra. “The CFDA has long played a vital role in championing American fashion and supporting designers at every stage of their journey, including my own. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to an organization that has fostered such a strong sense of community, creativity and mentorship within our industry.”
Hearst and Altuzarra join a board led by CFDA chairman Browne with vice chairs Prabal Gurung and Aurora James, treasurer Stacey Bendet, and general secretary Maria Cornejo, as well as Bethann Hardison, Dao-Yi Chow, Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, Norma Kamali, Ralph Lauren, Stan Herman, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, Tracy Reese and Vera Wang.
