The Museum at FIT hosted its 2024 Couture Council Luncheon at Lincoln Center on September 4th, 2024. This year’s luncheon honored French fashion designer and founder of Jacquemus, Simon Porte Jacquemus.
The Couture Council of The Museum at FIT presented Simon Porte Jacquemus with the 2024 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. The Museum at FIT director and chief curator Valerie Steele presented the designer with this award.
“Beyond his role as a fashion designer—a self taught fashion designer—he found his vocation as a creative director, an image maker known for his extraordinary visual messaging which is an emotional messaging. Everywhere we see his love of fashion, art, culture—of people,” said Valerie Steele.
Owner of The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach and board member, Sarah Wetenhall, and founding editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia and board member, Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, co-chaired this year’s luncheon event.
The coveted event was presented by Nordstrom and aimed to raise funds for The Museum at FIT, which is the only museum in New York City that is exclusively dedicated to the art of fashion.
“Nordstrom is proud to support this event for the 5th year in a row, and we are thrilled to be able to continue our support of the work that FIT and The Couture Council does to organize world-class museum exhibitions and free fashion programming that serves FIT students, as well as the New York City community,” stated president and chief-brand-officer of Nordstrom, Pete Nordstrom.
After opening remarks from FIT president Joyce F. Brown and Pete Nordstrom, the award presentation began.
Upon receiving the Artistry of Fashion Award, Simon Porte Jacquemus gave the guests an inside look at his career journey.
“At 19, I launched Jacquemus with nothing more than a dream—no resources, no contacts—just a clear vision to redefine fashion, to approach it from a fresh perspective,” he stated. “Today, 15 years later, Jacquemus is a house with over 300 employees, and I’m proud to say that we remain independent. For me, this is an invaluable achievement.”
The designer also expressed his gratitude for his team. Simon Porte Jacquemus also gave a sweet shoutout to his mother stating, “Without her, Jacquemus wouldn’t exist.”
Following Simon Porte Jacquemus’s speech, the 2023 Museum at FIT Student Award was presented to Patrick Garry, Art History and Museum Professions ‘25.
The star-studded list of attendees included Mona Aboelnaga Kanaan, Lizzie Asher, Alina Cho, Christian Cowan, Marisol Deluna, Carole Divet Harting, Ken Downing, Douglas Hand, Yaz Hernández, Julie Macklowe, Melissa Mafrige-Mithoff, Fern Mallis, Meredith Marks, Lara Meiland-Shaw, B. Michael, Liz Peek, Kara Ross, Hal Rubenstein, Lauren Santo Domingo, Jean Shafiroff, Ramona Singer, Rickie de Sole, and more.
The 2024 Museum at FIT Couture Council Luncheon was the perfect way to kick off New York Fashion Week and raise funds for an important cause.
“By being here today, you not only honor Simon, you also provide vital support for our programs and exhibitions that play a significant role in the lives of our students and our community, the rich culture of New York City and the world of fashion and design,” stated FIT president Joyce F. Brown. “Your contributions make it possible for the museum to continue their outstanding work.”
