Beyonce was honored with the Fashion Icon Award at the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards on Monday, June 6.
“As long as I can remember, fashion has always been a part of my life,” the pop superstar told a crowd of her peers at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. “When we were starting out in Destiny’s Child, high-end labels, they didn’t want to dress four black, country, curvy girls. And we couldn’t afford designer dresses and couture.”
CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg presented the 20-time Grammy winner as the CFDA Fashion Icon winner.
Beyonce recalled the time her mother and uncle sewed the wardrobe for the foursome.
“My mother [Tina Knowles] was rejected from every showroom in New York. But like my grandmother, she used her talent and her creativity to give her children their dreams,” the 34-year-old said. “'My mother and my Uncle Johnny, God bless his soul, designed all of our first costumes and made each piece by hand, individually sewing hundreds of crystals and pearls, putting so much passion and love into every small detail.”
She added: “My mother actually designed my wedding dress, my prom dress, my first CFDA Awards dress, my first Grammy dress, and the list goes on and on and this to me is the true power and potential of fashion.”
She continued: “Thank you for showing me to never take no for an answer. Thank you for showing me how to take risks, work hard, and live life on my own terms. This to me is the true power and potential of fashion. It’s a tool for finding your own identity. It transcends style, and it’s a time capsule of all of our greatest milestones.”
Musicians Rihanna and Pharrell Williams are previous winners of the Fashion Icon Award in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Beyonce is currently on the Formation World Tour and will be in New York City on June 7 and June 8.
