The Most Heartwarming Moments From The Fashion Los Angeles Awards 2025
The Daily Front Row’s ninth annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards (FLAs) returned to the Beverly Hills Hotel for a truly special night on Thursday. The ceremony honored icons, innovators, and top talents throughout the fashion, beauty, and modeling industries—and featured some majorly memorable moments, to boot! We’re sharing some of the most meaningful, emotional, and heartwarming statements from the evening’s speeches with you right here–so, don’t forget your tissues!
Beverly Johnson, presenting Fashion Icon to Tyra Banks“You didn’t always see what she did off-camera, like how she mentored some of the biggest household names in modeling of today. Supermodels, names of people in this very room that we all know—she made them come to those mentoring meeting sessions with paper and pencil in hand to take notes, to strategize, to record her secret nuggets of success. They didn’t just see her success. They recognized her intellect. And they didn’t come to be taught by stars; they came to be shaped by a strategist. She transferred her knowledge into them freely and fiercely, even after walking a path where no one handed her a map, because when you’re the first, you can either shut the door or hold it open. And just ask the girls on today’s runways, today’s supers and newbies alike, and they all will tell you, ‘Tyra taught me how to walk. Tyra taught me how to pose,’ and yes, ‘Tyra taught me how to smize.’ She showed those girls that fierce isn’t just a walk, it’s a mindset.”
Beverly Johnson
“38 years ago, just nine miles from the Beverly Hills Hotel, a girl with a big forehead and eyes a little bit too far apart didn’t ever think that she could be a model. And tonight, she is standing right here. And that big forehead they made fun of? Let’s be real: if I came up today alongside Gigi and Bella and Jasmine and Kaia and Duckie and Vittoria and Anok and Precious and miss Consani? The internet would have made my seventeen-year-old forehead a filter. Ya’ll know it!”
Tyra Banks
“Everyone knows her as Adriana Lima, supermodel, on the catwalk for Victoria’s Secret and on the cover of Vogue magazine. But I’m honored to know her as Adriana Lima, a beautiful human being, inside and out, amazing mother, wife, daughter and friend. A humble, hard worker that puts in time on and off camera. It’s amazing. To come back how she has after the birth of her child, just proves that Adriana is a superhuman, a beast, and a true champion.”
Amanda Nunes
“I’ve always admired what Amanda represents—not just as a fighter, but as an incredible woman and mother. I’m so grateful she traveled all the way across the country to be here with me tonight. Your commitment to your craft has always been such an inspiration, Amanda. You don’t just show up—you’re all in, every time. Watching that over the years has really stuck with me. So, when I was getting ready to come back, I knew I had to approach it the same way. You set a high standard, and it honestly pushed me to take things to the next level.”
Adriana Lima
“I remember when he first did my makeup—it was so good, I saved him in my phone as “Alexx beat face”—and I haven’t updated it, because one thing about Alexx: he’s gonna carve that mug! His dedication to his artistry is what makes him a master of his craft. His whimsy and love of fantasy makes him a standout in this industry—but it’s his heart that makes him the one-of-a-kind human that we all love.”
Lizzo
“Fifteen years ago, I left everything I knew to follow my dreams. With a suitcase, my makeup kit, and maybe $300, I landed in Hollywood. I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t have a car—all I had was determination. I remember working endless hours, falling asleep on the bus ride home sometimes, but to me, I was exactly where I needed to be. Those days me that if you can dream it, you can make it happen. This is for anyone out there that feels like they have limited resources, they don’t come from money, and those that are facing adversity.”
Alexx Mayo
“They basically said, ‘Try and get Vogue if I don’t get it first!,’ and had this nice little competitive competition thing going on. And then they said, ‘You know what? There’s a reason why we’re in sync and on the same page.’ So, they decided they’d be stronger together. And thank god! Thank god, thank god, thank god they joined forces.”
Da’Vne Joy Randolph
“Micah and I used to go to Fashion Week in Bryant Park together. We would always pick up The Daily Front Row, even when we weren’t invited to Fashion Week! We would sneak in. You would think we were invited, the way we acted!”
Micah McDonald, accepting Men’s Stylist of the Year“We started here from a dream, from those vision boards. One of the magazines we readily cut out was Daily Front Row. We used to go and sneak them back in our bag. They would really only allot you one at Bryant Park; easily went home each night with about five. It means so much to be from those cardboard cutouts to being here, in front of all of you. And I say that to say: if you have a dream, go to a drugstore. Steal magazines like I did, and cut them out, and become the person on that board. It’s up to you to do so. I implore you to do that.”
Micah McDonald
“What I love most about him is how kind and grounding he is. He always reminds me when we’re in glam: ‘How lucky we are, to be here and be alive on a sunny day,’ and it always makes me feel the best. He shows up for people and reminds them how much he loves them. His artistry is unmatched, and it makes every moment with him feel unforgettable.”
Dixie D’Amelio
“To my clients — thank you for trusting me, for believing in me, and for letting me be part of your looks. I know how important it is to have good hair, and you all inspire me every day. And of course, to my family. Thank you for being by my side through the highs and lows. It means everything to have you here tonight, all the way from Greece, to share this moment with me. And to my fiancé Felipe — we met last year on a family trip to Rio. You know, sometimes we work so much we forget about our hearts. It took me 40 years to find my other half, and now my life is complete.”
Dimitris Giannetos
“We have traveled the world as I got to watch her slay the biggest red carpets. I got to watch her shoot major campaigns. And on her biggest day, her wedding day, we hid in a tent from the paparazzi while I sobbed uncontrollably. But through everything, she has remained, truly, the perfectly moisturized calm in the storm. Tonight, I’m going to do something that I’ve never done before. I’m going to break my NDA—sorry!—to spill a big secret. The real drama behind closed doors, and what really gets her heated, is old Grey’s Anatomy episodes. I’m talking season 1 through 4 obsessed! I kind of wish Ellen Pompeo was here tonight with us!”
Jen Atkin
“I want to thank my incredible team, because world-building doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen without every single one of our brilliant team members. I want to thank Michael and Lauren Ratner, my founding partners, who have been on this journey with me since day zero. I want to thank our incredible customers and supporters. Without you, the community we’ve built at Rhode doesn’t exist. Thank you to my friends for being the best test subjects and biggest cheerleaders. And lastly, I want to thank my husband, for supporting this dream of mine from the beginning and always cheering me on.”
Hailey Bieber
“To be honest, when we first started working together—I don’t even know if he knew this—I was still battling with my recovery from sepsis. Even if I didn’t want to show it at the time, I was in a really scary and unfamiliar territory with my body. I don’t think I would have mentally and emotionally healed through that time if it wasn’t for his steady hand and sincere support in making me feel comfortable in my own skin again.”
Ashley Park
“My mom is here tonight, from Canada. Mom, thank you for letting me play with Barbies. Thank you for letting me wear crazy outfits to school. And thank you for being my number-one cheerleader. My sister is also here, Mandy. Mandy, thank you for protecting me from al the guys that didn’t want me to play with Barbies, and all the guys that didn’t want me to dress the way that I wanted to dress, and thank you for being the best sister in the entire world. And last, but not least, I want to thank my husband, Gary. He has inspired me to go after my dreams, and he, this past year, has looked at every sketch, every fitting photo, every swatch. He’s so involved in this process, and you just make me so happy, and I’m just really lucky to have you in my corner. The last award I won was in 2011. It was for Us Weekly, for being hot in Hollywood. I’m so happy I have this instead!”
Brad Goreski
“I’m usually doing music—this is crazy! I met Genesis on my first magazine shoot ever, for V mag. I was so drawn to her because I was kind of scared of her, in the best way. I was like, ‘Oh, she has tattoos. This girl is not afraid of a neck tattoo. I love this.’ And her hair is so long, and beautiful, and black, and I was just mesmerized by how sweet she was to me, because I’d never been treated that way in the fashion industry. It made me realize that maybe, this isn’t as exclusive as I thought. She was so sweet. We were in a car, a Toyota Camry, and she was dressing me in a ballgown—did not know this bitch at all! Naked, in a Toyota Camry, dressing me in this ballgown on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was not chill! This girl was sweet to me, and it’s what I really f-cking needed. I knew, right then, that what I was missing was feeling understood, and finally, I found her. Finally, I found someone that understood me. And that I didn’t want to be pretty all the time. I wanted to look weird. Ya’ll can’t see my mouth! Who’s doing do you think that was? Not mine!”
Chappell Roan
“My girlfriend, Lucy, I love you. Thank you for surviving the emotional, physical and spacial toll of dating a stylist. Every stylist’s partner deserves some sort of compensation, especially for all of the free assistant work you guys do for us. And then finally, to Betsey Johnson, the fashion figure here and that we’re here with you. We truly wouldn’t be here without you. You gave us the ability to be loud, flamboyant, and subversive in this fashion space. You’re absolutely immortal, and I’m so honored. To just be sitting next to you is f-cking crazy.”
Genesis Webb
“I grew up with Betsey Johnson as the most amazing force in the world. I learned cartwheels because she did them down the runway. I dressed myself in all Betsey-wear for about 12 years exclusively. So, to be up here right now is incredible.”
Selma Blair
“I am nothing without my girls. And my girls have always been here for me. I don’t know them, but it never ends! Every airplane I’m on, every bathroom I pee in, every place, I always have a fan. I always have someone [saying], ‘Betsey, I love your clothes. I wore your dress to my prom!’ I have been completely filled up for life with my girls, my fans, my guys, my boys. So, just one huge, life-long thank you.”
Betsey Johnson
The Fashion Los Angeles Awards are presented by LAGOS, Moroccanoil, DAOU Vineyards, MILLY & Casamigos.
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