It’s a big week in the Big Apple for Beyoncé.
While tonight she will be taking the Citi Field stage for the New York leg of her Formation World Tour, Monday night Beyoncé was rewarded with this year’s CFDA Fashion Icon Award at the CFDA Fashion Awards.
Accepting her award in a sparkling pinstripe Givenchy suit and her signature “Formation” hat, Queen Bey made sure to give tribute to the very first designer in her life, her mother.
Beyonce’s Sweetest Family Moments
“When we were starting out in Destiny’s Child, high-end labels, they didn’t really want to dress four Black, country, curvy girls,” Beyoncé said. “And we couldn’t afford designer dresses and couture. My mother was rejected from every showroom in New York, but like my grandmother, she used her talent and creativity to give her children their dreams. 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… It was so much deeper than any brand name.”
It was Tina Lawson who provided Beyoncé with many of her memorable life moment looks, Beyoncé revealed.
“My mother actually designed my wedding dress, my prom dress, my first CFDA Award dress, my first Grammy dress, and the list goes on and on and on. And this to me is the true power and potential in fashion. It’s a tool for finding your own identity, expression and strength.”
Watch her acceptance speech here.
WANT MORE FROM ESSENCE? Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity news.