SCAD Announces Pharrell Williams as 2025 André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is thrilled to announce that GRAMMY Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated musician and filmmaker, philanthropist, designer, and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams has been named the recipient of the prestigious 2025 André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award. This distinguished honor recognizes Williams’ groundbreaking contributions to fashion and his influential impact across the broader landscape of entertainment. The André Leon Talley Award will be formally presented to Williams in a dedicated ceremony on October 14 at SCADshow as part of the university’s festivities celebrating the opening of the landmark exhibition, André Leon Talley: Style is Forever, which opens to the public at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film on October 15.
“The André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award at SCAD honors the cultural prescience and sartorial vision of our dear friend André, a flame carried forth by Pharrell Williams like no other, from Esquire’s “Best Dressed Man in the World” to the very helm of Louis Vuitton. In his music and radiant style—producer, performer, polymathic fashion icon on every red carpet around the world—Pharrell personifies joy and genius. With this honor, SCAD recognizes a generational talent and emboldens SCAD Bees to design their worlds with the very same wondrous élan that distinguishes the lives of André and Pharrell, legends both.” – SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace
The André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award presentation will feature remarks by SCAD President Paula Wallace and iconic fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. The event will culminate in a conversation with Williams, joined by Grammy Award–winning artist The-Dream (Terius Nash) and moderated by Stephanie Sutton, Director of Engagement & Communications at YELLOW, offering an insightful retrospective on his extraordinary creative journey and lasting cultural impact.
“It is a profound honor to receive the André Leon Talley Award. André showed us that creativity has no boundaries—it moves between art, fashion, and culture as a force that unites us. His vision continues to inspire, and I’m humbled to carry forward a piece of that legacy.” – Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams is a visionary artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. A recipient of 13 Grammy Awards, he has also received nominations for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Emmys. With over 10 billion global music streams to date, Pharrell’s influence spans far beyond music.
Recently appointed as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts Education and Entrepreneurship, Pharrell is the founder of YELLOW, a non-profit organization creating equal opportunities for youth through education. He also established Black Ambition, a non-profit initiative empowering Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs through capital and mentorship.
In addition to his philanthropic work, Pharrell serves as the Creative Director of Louis Vuitton’s Menswear and is the founder of Humanrace, a brand built around essential tools for well-being, spanning skincare and apparel.
The impact of André Leon Talley’s legacy at SCAD continues to resonate deeply. For more than two decades, Talley was a generous mentor, advocate, and visionary who championed SCAD students across every discipline and served with distinction on the SCAD Board of Trustees for over 13 years. His unwavering support helped shape the university’s global fashion reputation and inspired generations of emerging designers and creatives. In 2003, he became the inaugural recipient of the SCAD Lifetime Achievement Award in Fashion—an honor later renamed the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award to reflect his extraordinary contributions. Since then, this illustrious university award has recognized excellence in fashion and design, with past honorees including Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, Ralph Rucci, Marc Jacobs, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Francisco Costa, Stephen Burrows, Zac Posen, Manolo Blahnik, Vera Wang, Christopher John Rogers, and Aurora James.
The André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award presentation will precede the opening of André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever, a full-scale exhibition celebrating Talley’s legacy as a visionary creative director, style icon, and beloved friend of the university. Curated by SCAD FASH Creative Director Rafael Gomes, the exhibition is made possible through Talley’s extraordinary bequest of personal garments, accessories, photographs, and ephemera to the SCAD Permanent Collection. Opening October 15 at the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, Style Is Forever showcases an exceptional selection of couture and bespoke pieces from Talley’s personal wardrobe, illustrating his profound impact on global style and culture. The exhibition will be on view at SCAD FASH through March 1, 2026.