Olivier Rousteing Honored at 2025 Couture Council Luncheon
On Sept. 3, at the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, The Museum at FIT (MFIT) held its annual Couture Council Luncheon, honoring Olivier Rousteing, creative director of the house of Balmain, with the 2025 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.
"This award is not just a recognition of my past," Rousteing said upon receiving the award. "It is a celebration of every risk, every battle, every dream—and every person who dared to believe in me and believe with me."
Martha Stewart. Photo: Daniel Suchnik/Getty Images
Olivier Rousteing. Photo: Zach Hilty, BFA.com
Ken Downing, Douglas Hand. Photo: Zach Hilty, BFA.com
Stephanie Loeffler, Jane DeFlorio. Photo: Zach Hilty, BFA.com
"As a visionary young designer who proved deserving of all his early success, Olivier is especially inspiring to our FIT students," said FIT President Joyce F. Brown in her welcoming remarks. "His personal path has not always been easy, as detailed in the documentary Wonderboy, but he has persevered and poured his emotional truth into his work."
Actor and singer Jeremy Pope presented Rousteing with the award, a golden spool of thread. "Olivier, you have broken barriers and rewritten the rules," Pope told him. "You make space for stories that often go unseen. … You remind us: Fashion isn't just about what we wear. It's about who we are, and the future we dare to shape."
MFIT Director and Chief Curator Valerie Steele presented The Museum at FIT student award to Isabella Rasch, an Art History and Museum Professions major, for her dedication to museum work.
"Museums have always been a utopia for me, a place where I leave feeling fulfilled, excited, and liberated," Rasch said.
The luncheon was co-chaired by Couture Council board members Jane DeFlorio, corporate director at Vivid Seats Inc., and Stephanie Loeffler, philanthropist and board member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Other notable luncheon attendees included 2023 Artistry of Fashion honoree Gabriela Hearst, Martha Stewart, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Meredith Marks, Ramona Singer*, Fern Mallis, Liz Peek, Jean Shafiroff, Julie Macklowe, Katherine Gage Boulud, Yaz Hernández*, Ken Downing*, Douglas Hand, Ruben Toledo, and more. (Asterisks indicate FIT alumni.)
Rousteing also took part in an intimate and revealing conversation with Steele in front of a capacity crowd of students on campus the same day, during which he recalled his personal struggles and hardships. He was deeply engaged with the students and took the time to give thoughtful and personal answers to their questions.
When asked about diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry, he advised students to be patient with setbacks. "We always win when there is love. And I can tell you for a fact that I'm pushing, we can all push together. We can build a community of people that believe in the same world, and we're all here to shape this world."
View more images from the luncheon and student talk on Flickr