IMPACT is the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, exploring the influence of the careers of America’s most influential designers over the last five decades. Anchored by Patricia Mears’s illuminating essay on the history of the CFDA, this book incorporates over 300 personal Impact statements from the most important names in American fashion, including Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Ralph Lauren, Proenza Schouler, and Donna Karan. Illustrated with many never-before-seen images, this is the ultimate fashion who’s who and a celebration of this important fashion organiza­tion. Accompanied by elegant images of these career-changing moments, this book is the definitive word on the voice of American fashion.

Praise for IMPACT:

“The book is sweeping in its scope—a chronicle of personal remembrance and passionate history. For readers, it's a chance to peak into ateliers and accounting offices, to get a sense of the egos and the insecurities of the biggest names in the industry.” —Newsweek

Cathy Horyn is an American fashion journalist who works as a critic for the New York Times, where she also keeps a highly noted and provocative blog called On The Runway. Diane von Furstenberg is an internationally renowned designer and current president of the CFDA. Patricia Mears is deputy director at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and is the curator of the 2012 IMPACT exhibit that will accompany the publication of the book.