Category: Fashion

Say Tina’s name, say Tina’s name! Freshly recognized fashion-icon award winner Kelly Rowland praised Tina Knowles for dressing her and Destiny’s Child in the R&B group’s early days — when no other designers would.

The “Dilemma” and “Motivation” hitmaker name-checked Beyoncé and Solange’s mom Tuesday for her pattern-making prowess and homemade costumes, which were a forerunner in developing her personal style. The sartorial recognition came as Rowland accepted the Fashion Icon of the Year Award during New York fashion week at the Harlem’s Fashion Row‘s Style and Awards show. (Rowland, who wore a plunging Ashi Studio gown for the occasion, was presented the award by her husband Tim Weatherspoon, who called the singer his “real-life chocolate Barbie.”)

“My history with fashion actually started — I’m sure a lot of you know — [with] Destiny’s Child. [We were] four very country girls, very country girls, from Texas, talking very loud,” Rowland said onstage in the Apollo Theater, referring to the group’s past as a quartet. “It was just very different so [designers] were very reluctant to dress us. They ain’t dress us at all, to be honest.

“So, Tina [Knowles] took matters into her own hands and she dressed us, and I learned then what it was like to start a trend… I remember what that felt like, the pride in it. But I also know that we are a part of that too. We start the trends. We make what’s cool cool. So, fashion should be grateful for us.”

The shout-out was not lost on Knowles, who took to Instagram on Thursday to reciprocate Rowland’s love.

“My beautiful Kelly is speaking about the early days when designers would not give us clothes and we had to turn lemons into lemonade,” the 69-year-old matriarch wrote, reposting a clip of Rowland’s speech.

“I’ve never said it but I’m actually grateful that these people would not allow us to have clothes because it made us more creative and it made them different from everyone out there. I would tell them sometimes when I was pissed off that they wouldn’t give me clothes for the girls, or say something negative about the girls, about them being too thick and then being too country or the fact that they dressed too much alike and that they wouldn’t give them clothes and I would, say as I was leaving ‘well one day you’re gonna be asking to dress them.’”

In fact, that has “come to pass,” Knowles said.

“I understand it a lot better now. And we love all the designers.❤️you are so right Kelly we make things cool!” she added. “@kellyrowland could wear a garbage bag and look amazing. She is definitely one of the most beautiful women in the world. Also the kindest and sweetest I love you so much Kelly my Kelly❤️❤️❤️ Congratulations on this prestigious Award you deserve it❤️”

“Thank You Ma!!!!❤️” Rowland replied in the comments.

Knowles’ mother, seamstress Agnez Dereon, inspired her and Beyoncé’s interest in fashion and helped Knowles become the group’s famous costumer. Before she became the resident proud mama on her daughter’s star-studded Renaissance tour, the Louisiana native studied as a beautician and opened Houston beauty salon Headliners in 1990. The shop served as a venue for a young Beyoncé, who swept hair off the floors and helped out around the shop, to sing and dance for customers under the hair dryers.

Knowles, whose surname was Beyoncé before she wed ex-husband Mathew Knowles, also launched the House of Dereon brand with her daughter in the early 2000s.

In a 2005 interview with The Times, the “Break My Soul” singer said that her mother told her “wear your own name on your butt” and credited her with teaching her girls “to have our own identity.”

Louis Gabriel Nouchi took home the coveted ANDAM Fashion Award on Thursday, beating five other finalists to score €300,000 EUR and a one-year mentorship from Chloé’s chief executive officer Riccardo Bellini.

The Paris-based designer accepted the trophy during an outdoor ceremony at the Palais-Royal’s gardens in the French capital. He joins an impressive roster of previous winners, which includes the likes of Viktor & Rolf, Christophe Lemaire, Jeremy Scott, Bianca Saunders and Marine Serre.

Nouchi, who founded his eponymous label in 2017, looks to challenge the traditional masculine style tropes through genderless collections inspired by literary and film references. Flicking between seasons, the designer sought inspiration from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ Dangerous Liaisons for Spring 2023; and, for Fall 2023, he called on Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho to craft his mood boards. Nouchi’s latest Spring 2024 collection took cues from Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, A Single Man. For all, the designer’s references inform the themes woven into his forward-minded silhouettes.

Elsewhere at the ceremony, ANDAM presented both Ester Manas and Durank Lantik with the runner-up Special Prize, which comes with a cash prize of €100,000 EUR as well as coaching. The additional finalists included GmbH’s Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik; Gauchere’s Marie-Christine Statz, and Andreadamo’s Andrea Adamo.

Rounding out the trophies, Ukrainian hat designer Ruslan Baginskiy won the Accessories Prize, and Avellano by Arthur Avellano received the Pierre Bergé Prize, which aims to highlight burgeoning French labels. Both designers also received €100,000 EUR.

In order to qualify for ANDAM’s grand prize, candidates must operate a French company or establish one in the same year of receipt. Finalists’ work was judged by an esteemed jury, which included Saint Laurent’s Francesca Bellettini, Balenciaga’s Cédric Charbit, Instagram’s Eva Chen, Kering’s François-Henri Pinault, LVMH’s Sidney Toledano and Chanel’s Bruno Pavlovsky, among several others.

In more fashion news, Phoebe Philo’s new brand will launch with more than 150 styles.

PARIS — LGN Louis-Gabriel Nouchi beat five other finalists to score the grand prize of the 2023 edition of the ANDAM Fashion Award.

The winner, who receives 300,000 euros and a year of coaching from Chloé chief executive officer Riccardo Bellini, was revealed at an open-air ceremony in the gardens of the Palais-Royal in Paris on Thursday night.

Paris-based Nouchi, who sought to redefine male sensuality with his spring 2024 collection inspired by the 1964 novel “A Single Man” and presented on June 22, proposes gender-fluid collections with a literary inspiration, prioritizing the use of fabrics with low environmental impact, natural dyes, and buttons and labels made of recycled plastic.

Ester Manas and Duran Lantik jointly received the runner-up Special Prize, established in 2022. Each will receive a cash award of 100,000 euros plus coaching.

The former is the Brussels-based label founded by Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, working size-inclusive designs mainly with deadstock fabrics.

Lantink, who is based in Amsterdam and has since moved to Paris, made an off-calendar Paris debut last February showcasing polished twists on his knack for upcycling designer clothing from older seasons, cutting up pieces from different brands and putting them back together. 

The other finalists were GmbH’s Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik; Marie-Christine Statz of Paris-based label Gauchere, and Italian designer Andrea Adamo’s Andreadamo label.

Candidates for ANDAM’s grand prize can be of any nationality, but must own a French company or set one up during the same year as the receipt of the fellowship.

Avellano by Arthur Avellano, which specializes in latex creations, won the Pierre Bergé Prize, which focuses on young French companies and is worth 100,000 euros.

The other two contenders for that prize were Ouest Paris, a Paris-based menswear label founded by former Ami designer Arthur Robert, and Vaillant, designed by Alice Vaillant, known for lingerie-inspired camisole tops and slip dresses worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Rita Ora.

Ukrainian milliner Ruslan Baginskiy, whose hats are featured in Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour, won the Accessories Prize, now valued at 100,000 euros, up from 50,000 euros previously.

The other two accessories finalists were Alighieri, the London-based jewelry label founded by Rosh Mahtani, and Paris-based jewelry brand Panconesi by Italian designer Marco Panconesi, who moonlights as design director at Swarovski.

With Chloé’s Bellini as this year’s mentor, designers needed to demonstrate a strong sense of social responsibility to wow a jury that included Quannah Chasinghorse-Potts, American model and land protector for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Mexican climate activist Xiye Bastida, and Trisha Shetty, human rights campaigner and founder of SheSays, an Indian NGO working to promote gender equality.

Although five brands walked away with gongs, all 12 finalists will have access to deadstock materials provided by Balenciaga and Longchamp, while OTB will run a workshop on best practices in sustainable design.

They will also be showcased at WSN and Première Classe’s trade shows. France-based finalists will have privileged access to the accelerator program of the Institut Français de la Mode, and financial advice from the Institute for the Financing of Cinema and the Cultural Industries, which supports cultural industries in France.

Created in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour with the support of the French Ministry of Culture and the DEFI, a body that promotes the development of the French fashion industry, and with the late Pierre Bergé as president, ANDAM has been a springboard for designers who would go on to achieve international recognition.

Past winners include Viktor & Rolf, Christophe Lemaire, Jeremy Scott and Marine Serre. British menswear designer Bianca Saunders scooped the 2021 prize, while Botter, designed by Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botter, scored the top gong last year.

ANDAM — the French acronym for National Association of the Development of the Fashion Arts — is supported by large corporate sponsors, which now include Balenciaga, Chanel, Chloé, Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, Galeries Lafayette, Google, Hermès, Instagram, Kering, Lacoste, Longchamp, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, L’Oréal Paris, Mytheresa, OTB, Premiere Classe, Saint Laurent, Swarovski and Tomorrow.

The French Ministry of Culture and the DEFI, a body that promotes the development of the French fashion industry, are also key historic public partners of ANDAM.

Executives from most sponsors comprise permanent members of the jury, and Glenn Martens, Y/Project and Diesel creative director, served on behalf of OTB.

Chasinghorse-Potts’ fellow models Gigi Hadid and Pat Cleveland were also guest jurors for this edition, as was Iranian-born actress and director Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival last year for her role in “Holy Spider.”

Australia’s most impactful technology executives and their teams have been acknowledged at the 2023 CIO50 Awards. 

The prestigious event took place at the ICC in Sydney on Tuesday night, as part of the CIO50 Symposium and Awards. 

Sheridan Ware, chief information and technology officer at Charter Hall, took out the CIO50 top spot. Among the many initiatives Ware and her team have spearheaded its Autom8 app, which allows retail tenant customers to update their monthly sales figures in a matter of seconds, a process that previously could take hundreds of hours every month. Ware is a champion of diversity and inclusion on multiple fronts and serves as Charter Hall’s executive spokesperson for D&I. As executive sponsor of Charter Hall’s CH Proud committee she played a critical part in leading the organisation last year to its first placement in the Australian Workplace Equality Index, an award that recognises Australia’s leaders in LGBTQ+ inclusion. 

Ranked No. 2 in this year’s CIO50 list is Brett Reedman, CIO at Catholic Healthcare. Among the many initiatives Reedman and his team have been working on is the deployment of HoloLens 2 3D headsets to provide timely access to medical services. 

And coming in No. 3 on the 2023 list is Eglantine Etiemble, chief technology officer at PEXA Group. Etiemble and her team are taking to other markets around the world a blockchain technology that has truly revolutionised property settlements here in Australia. 

The rest of the top 10 in the CIO50 included Richard Exton, Chief technology officer, Aware Super; George Gorman, Chief technology officer, Zip Co, Kate Romanova, former chief information officer, Greyhound Racing Victoria; Jorge Silveira, chief digital health officer, Virtus Health; Jacqui Visch, chief information officer, PwC; Raul Caceres, general manager, data and technology, Canteen, and Adam Carthew, Chief information officer, Service Victoria.

Full details on the CIO50 List . 

Inaugural Next CIO winner 

For the first time in the history of the CIO50 Awards, three emerging ICT leaders were recognised in the inaugural Next CIO category. This award recognises rising stars in ICT roles who are on the pathway to senior leadership. The Next CIO winner is an individual who is exceeding expectations and helping drive innovation through their organisation. 

The finalists in this category were Anafrid Bennet, head of technology, security and property at Greater Western Water, Jane Hatch, head of transformation at My Plan Manager, and Tim Sheridan, engineering director at Seven West Media. 

Anafrid Bennet from Greater Western Water was honoured as the Next CIO winner for 2023. 

The judging panel said all finalists had submitted standout entries and all will likely rise to senior tech leadership roles in the next few years, there could only be one winner. “Anafrid Bennet is already displaying the leadership, technology, business, innovation and people skills to take her far in our industry. And like any great leader, she inspires others to excel, and leads by example. If Anafrid is indicative of the next generation of CIOs and technology leaders, then our industry is in very safe hands.” 

CIO50 Hall of Fame winner 

The 2023 CIO50 Hall of Fame award was given to Angela Coble, managing director in transformation and leadership at Accenture. Previously, she served as a board member and CIO and executive director of business transformation at Johnson & Johnson MedTech Australia & New Zealand and has featured numerous times in the CIO50 List. 

Earlier this year, Angela was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her pursuit to improve the Australian business community through action towards increasing the participation and retention of women in leadership. 

The judging panel said Angela was a deserving winner of the CIO50 Hall of Fame award. “Angela Coble’s dedication and tremendous energy to excellent leadership in CIO roles makes her a standout contributor to our community. She has both depth and breadth of technical expertise and is an exemplar of compassionate and people-centred leadership. She is a worthy recipient of this noteworthy Hall of Fame award.” 

Team of the Year awards 

Also on the night, four organisations were presented with Team of the Year awards, recognising technology teams that are driving innovation, building and sustaining great team cultures, growing their people, and working to deliver for their companies and customers.  

The Team of the Year: Customer Value category had four finalists including Northern Beaches Council, Suncorp, University of Tasmania and Virgin Australia. 

This award recognises technology teams delivering increased levels of customer value and experience through a refreshed approach to user engagement. Customer Value can span new projects, solutions and initiatives, in addition to processes, business models and operations. 

This award went to Virgin Australia. The judging panel said Virgin Australia had excelled in identifying multiple high-impact customer pain points and resolving them with innovative thinking. “The customer recovery solution, middle seat lottery, and baggage reconciliation system initiatives showed strong evidence of increased customer value and improved experience. Great work from the Virgin Australia team!” 

In the Team of the Year: Resilience category the finalists were Catholic Healthcare, Estia Health and Virgin Australia. 

This award recognises technology teams displaying increased levels of resiliency amid challenging societal, industry and economic environments, overcoming such roadblocks through determination, collaboration and durability. Resiliency is a crucial attribute of any successful department and demonstrates the power of teamwork in the face of adversity. 

The winner in the Resilience category was Catholic Healthcare. The judging panel said the organisation’s submission highlights some big projects and clearly sets out challenges that the Catholic Healthcare team have faced over the last few years. “The team’s ability to adapt and find innovative solutions showcases their high-level of resilience and the power of teamwork in achieving exceptional success.” 

In the highly contested Team of the Year: Culture category, the judges had a tough job narrowing down the submissions to the finalists, which were Assetlink, Arup, Austin Health, Aware Super, R.M. Williams and the University of Newcastle. 

This award recognises technology teams creating an internal culture that inspires individual growth and allows teams to achieve personal and professional goals. Culture can include increasing cultural diversity, celebrating team wins and/or mentoring staff etc. 

The winner of the Team of the Year Culture category was integrated facilities services provider Assetlink. 

The judging panel said the team put through an impressive entry on how they have created and sustained a great team culture. “Assetlink is a case study in how to build a workplace that thrives on collaboration and teamwork. Great leadership at all levels to empower team members to take charge of their own career paths. Some excellent examples of how they are creating personal connections within the team and fostering a culture that is both positive and supportive.” 

In the Team of the Year: Talent category, the two finalists were Maurice Blackburn and Zip Co. 

This award recognises technology teams creating an enhanced environment for talent development and growth, allowing skilled individuals to flourish and up-skilling to thrive. Talent can include new capabilities and competencies, or employee talent programs and market initiatives. 

The winner of the Talent category was plaintiff law firm Maurice Blackburn. The judges said Maurice Blackburn had set an “outstanding example of how to build and manage a talent development program.”  

“The submission included excellent endorsements from team members who achieved higher levels of performance through the program. The judges were particularly pleased to see the inclusion of metrics that enable the business to measure employee happiness, as it plays a crucial role in nurturing a healthy culture.”