In late 2022, when Chioma Nnadi interviewed Erykah Badu for her first Vogue cover, the artist was wearing “strings of bells strapped to her ankles... a tangle of amethyst crystal pendants thrown over her paint-splattered overalls, gigantic silver rings on each finger, rubber bangles stacked up to her elbows, and a red beanie pulled over her hair.” Badu “likes to wear clothes that make music when she walks,” Nnadi explained—even if it’s a Tuesday afternoon in Dallas on the porch of her childhood home, which was the case when the two spoke. This singularity has long made the Grammy Award-winning artist one of the most stylish women of her time. On Monday, that label will be formally recognized when she accepts the Fashion Icon Award at the 2024 CFDA Awards.
Founded in 1980 with the first winners announced in 1981, the CFDA Awards recognize the year’s most revered American fashion designers, as well as the many stylists, models, photographers, journalists and international talents who’ve left an indelible mark on the industry.
Ahead of this year’s ceremony, being held at the American Museum of Natural History, we’re revisiting Badu’s cover story and taking a look at the 2024 nominees—from New York fashion darling Willy Chavarria, nominated for Menswear Designer of the Year, to Henry Zankov, who’s up for an award in the Emerging Designer category. Plus, there’s a piece on the legendary career of Stephen Burrows, this year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree. |
