“Neiman’s gave me the ultimate invitation to dream and to dare,” said Daniel Roseberry last night. The creative director of Schiaparelli was recalling how Neiman Marcus played a key part in his journey from Plano, Texas, to the Ritz in Paris, where he was receiving the retailer s Award for Creative Impact in the Field of Fashion.
Last night was the second edition of the Neiman Marcus Awards since the venerable Dallas-founded business rebooted it last year. Roseberry was one of three winners who took to the podium at a fuss-free yet fabulous ceremony and dinner, where other guests included Delphine Arnault, Maggie Maurer, Olivia Palermo, and Sidney Toledano. Many others, including Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy, swung by for the stop-and-chat before the ceremony began.
Speaking shortly before his touching speech (someone at my table cried) Roseberry said: “This evening kind of feels like a full circle moment for me. When I was growing up Neiman’s was this symbol of a world that I didn t know if I could be a part of, let alone become a creator in.”
For the two other winners last night, the awards represent a move in the other direction, from Paris to the US. The grandest of the evening’s three wordily-named prizes—The Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion—went to Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri. She paid fulsome and graceful tribute to Dior’s many craftspeople as she picked up her statuette.
Speaking pre-speech, she recalled how the house’s founder Christian Dior won the prize back in 1947, the year of his very first collection, and how instrumental receiving it was to his success. She said: “We have to think that at that moment it was so difficult to travel to the USA—what they did was unbelievable. I am very impressed by the history of Dior, how much he realized, how much he went around the world, and how thanks to this the brand went global. He was a great couturier but we also have to recognize what a great ambassador he was for Parisian couture in the world.”
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Of the award he received 77 years ago, she added: “It was the first time that European designers and couturiers had the chance to be in the American market. So they were pioneers in fashion. It was a visionary approach.”
While Simon Porte Jacquemus, 34, is hoping to follow in Christian Dior’s footsteps by breaking into the US market, he is also determined to carve his own distinct route. The designer (who was topping off a pretty prize-heavy weekend), was last night named winner of the Neiman Marcus Award for Innovation in the Field of Fashion. He told Vogue: “I think this prize represents an American invitation. I am a little obsessed to go there at the moment, both personally and with the brand.” He said that 20 percent of all sales on Jacquemus’s directly-operated e-store are currently made by customers in the US, and confirmed that he will be partnering with Neiman Marcus to present special edits in accessories and menswear as well as womenswear. He also hinted at future store openings, saying: “I want to find new ways to make noise and be vocal in America. So I’m working on that right now—I m thinking about America every day.”
Geoffroy van Raemdonck, the CEO of Neiman Marcus Group (NMG), is the man responsible for rebooting fashion’s oldest award. He said: “If you look back, when we honored Christian Dior it was in the year of his very first collection. And today we continue to work to identify great fashion creativity as it develops and bring it to our audience. We believe we can be a key partner for Jacquemus, just as all of the honorees gain access to the US customer through the marketing and merchandising of Neiman Marcus.”
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