IFDA Celebrates 65 Years of Industry Leadership at Circle of Excellence Awards Program
The International Furnishings and Design Association – formerly known as the National Home Fashions League – will celebrate its 65th anniversary on Tuesday, May 8th when the group presents its 2012 Circle of Excellence Awards. The event, established in 1992 to recognize outstanding leadership, vision and dedication in the design and furnishings industries, will take place at the Union League Club, 38 E. 37th Street, New York City at 6 p.m. with cocktails followed by the awards program at 7 p.m.
Industry luminaries who will be feted at the Circle of Excellence Evening of Distinction include: Charlotte Moss for interior design, Kravet Inc. for industry resource & product design, Bard Graduate Center for education and the Hearst Design Group of ELLE DECOR, House Beautiful and VERANDA for media. Fashion impresario Simon Doonan and designer Jonathan Adler will be the Masters of Ceremonies.
Claire K. Coleman, IFDA’s founder, will also be honored – citing her leadership in promoting the role of women in the home interiors field. In 1947, Coleman – who was fresh out of college and a cub reporter for the Fairchild publication Retailing Home Furnishings – expressed her dismay to six friends at lunch about her exclusion from the all-male “Drapery & Curtain Club Market Dinner”. Too young to be easily daunted and smart enough to grasp a good idea when she saw it, she took the challenge to start an organization that would focus on encouraging the presence of women in the industry. With her friends, Claire began the National Home Fashions League which created and communicated evolving home fashion trends for decades. With a membership that encompassed executives in every facet of design and furnishings, the NHFL was renamed the International Furnishings & Design Association (IFDA) in1988 and today boasts 15 regional chapters and one in Japan.
A portion of the evening’s profits will benefit the IFDA Educational Foundation, which distributes grants and scholarships for students and professionals in the furnishings and design field. For tickets, event patron opportunities or any other information about the IFDA’s Circle of Excellence Awards, visit http://bit.ly/Ij2fEj, contact the IFDA office at 212.686.6020 or email at ifdanyny@verizon.net .For more information about the IFDA New York Chapter, membership or its upcoming industry events, visit www.ifda.com/new-york-chapter, Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
