Indian American Couturier Naeem Khan Receives 2023 National Design Award for Fashion
- The Mumbai-born designer is honored for his “forward thinking design of apparel, accessory, jewelry, footwear and textiles.”
Indian American fashion designer Naeem Khan is among recipients of this year’s National Design Awards, the New York-based Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum announced last week.
Khan received the fashion award for his “forward thinking design of apparel, accessory, jewelry, footwear and textiles.” Established in 2000 as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the annual awards “honor innovation and impact and recognize the power of design to change the world, these awards bring national recognition to the ways in which design enriches everyday life.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Khan grew up in a world surrounded by culture, architecture, art, history and design. As a boy, “he cultivated a vast knowledge of textiles under the watchful eyes of his grandfather and father, both of whom designed intricate clothing worn by Indian royal families,” according to his website. He moved to the U.S. as a teenager, and began his career as an apprentice for legendary American designer Halston at the age of 20.
He launched his eponymous collection in 2003. Since then his collections have adorned glamorous women around the world, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Rachel McAdams, First Lady Michelle Obama, Queen Noor of Jordan, and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, among others. He launched the Naeem Khan Bridal collection in 2013. He was inducted as a member of the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2008. Today the Naeem Khan Ready-to-Wear and Bridal collections are sold at more than 150 retail outlets across the world.