The CFDA Awards on Monday were a big night for Mansur Gavriel designers and founders Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel. Not only did they win the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design—an accolade that rendered them near speechless in the moment—but they also debuted Mansur Gavriel-designed clothing and accessories. To the event, Mansur and Gavriel sported coordinating collared dresses in persimmon and coral, respectively, and each carried a suede clutch with matching shoes—all of which they designed.
“We have a very specific visual world in mind for the brand, so we were excited for the opportunity to create our own looks for the evening. We made the dresses in Italy, as well as our shoes and clutches,” the pair wrote Style.com over e-mail. “We’ve been developing clutches, among other things,” they noted, confirming that they “do have plans, but not in the immediate future” to launch clothing, and are also planning to launch more bag styles and shoes. The duo didn’t comment further on any specifics, though they did note of their suede accessories in peach and eggplant at the CFDAs, “Suede is elegant and rich, and we feel it’s a natural addition to what we currently offer.”
Having had some time to reflect on their win, they also expressed sincere gratitude to the CFDA for their first nomination and victory. “We are really touched to receive this positive affirmation. The brand is still so young, and it has grown so quickly. It’s very rewarding to receive a vote of confidence from such an established and respected community.” As for how it will change MG moving forward, the pair is keeping an open mind: “We would love to take this opportunity to get to know the community better and continue to develop our brand further.” We think shoes and clothing is a pretty good start.
—Steff Yotka, Style.com