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RAPAPORT...
The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum named designer Thom Browne as this year's winner in the fashion design category of the National Design Awards. Browne designed a men's jewelry line for Harry Winston and offers tailored clothing as well as ready-to-wear menswear and womenswear. He designs the Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers collection for men and women and introduced the Moncler Gamme Bleu collection in 2009 . Browne's other accolades include ''Menswear Designer of the Year'' in 2006 by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, ''Designer of the Year'' in 2008 by GQ magazine and the ''Most Influential Designer'' by WGSN. The 13th annual National Design Awards program will be held on October 17 at Pier 60 in New York where it will also recognize winners for nine other categories, including lifetime achievement, design mind, corporate and institutional achievement, architecture design, communication design, interaction design, interior design, landscape architecture and product design. Cooper-Hewitt's director, Bill Moggridge, said, ''The National Design Awards program is Cooper-Hewitt's largest and most widespread educational initiative and celebrates the full-spectrum of American design practices. The provocative work of this year's winners truly shapes the way we experience the world.'' This year, Cooper-Hewitt kept the focus of these awards on the exemplary work of the winners and chose not to have category finalists. A jury of design leaders and educators from across the U.S., convened by the museum, reviewed submissions resulting from thousands of nominations submitted by the general public. Nominees must have at least seven years of experience and winners are selected based upon the level of excellence, innovation and public impact of their body of work. The awards were launched at the White House in year 2000 to promote excellence and innovation in design. The awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including special events, panel discussions and workshops. First Lady Michelle Obama serves as the Honorary Patron for this year's National Design Awards.
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