The Presidential Medal of Freedom is America’s highest civilian honor. This year, fashion devotees definitely tuned in for the most recent awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom as President Joe Biden recognized two titans of the American Fashion industry.
CNN reports that Vogue editor Anna Wintour and American fashion designer Ralph Lauren were two of the awardees of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor. The two were the only representatives from the fashion industry.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was first established under former president John F. Kennedy and is awarded at the discretion of the sitting president and an external advisory panel. The latest batch awarded by the outgoing President Biden is made up of 19 names.
Wintour, who has been editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988, and has been actively involved in fund-raising for charitable causes, particularly for AIDS research and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1990, she played a strategic role in developing the fashion industry’s AIDS charity, the CFDA/Vogue initiative through which she helped raise over $20 million.
Through his Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation, the designer has donated millions to cancer research, literacy programs, and notably supported health care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a designer, Ralph Lauren has also been a favorite of the Biden family. First Lady Jill Biden wore a Ralph Lauren design on the August cover of Vogue, while her granddaughter Naomi Biden wore a Ralph Lauren dress for her 2022 wedding in the White House.
Aside from Wintour and Lauren, several members of the entertainment industry were also recognized. These include actors Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox, musician Bono, American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr, Kennedy Center chair David Rubenstein, Inter Miami soccer star Lionel Messi, and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Michael J. Fox was recognized for his Parkinson’s disease research advocacy, while Bono was recognized for his work in fighting AIDS and building support for the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
Activists, politicians, and businessmen were also recognized at the event. The names include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British conservationist Jane Goodall, science educator Bill Nye, and billionaire George Soros, recognized for his decades of philanthropy.
Chef and humanitarian José Andrés was given the medal for his work with the World Central Kitchen, which was described by the White House as revolutionizing the way food aid reaches communities affected by natural disasters and conflicts around the world.
Meanwhile, former US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy, former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer and former Republican Governor of Michigan George W Romney were given the award posthumously.
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