Footwear News‘ 34th annual FN Achievement Awards are scheduled to air online on December 8. At this year’s ceremony, Hip Hop megastar Belcalis “Cardi B” Almánzar will be honored with a special achievement presented by the 75-year-old trade publication.
Cardi B was selected to receive the Style Influencer of the Year award at the first virtual FNAAs. She joins a list of past recipients of that accolade from the “Shoe Oscars” that includes J Balvin, Christie Brinkley, Hailey Baldwin, and Alexa Chung.
“I’ve always been into fashion. Back then, I couldn’t afford what I wanted, now I can. It’s easier and I have more connections with brands,” Cardi told
FN. “I could wear the most uncomfortable shoe and I’m just going to take it and love it because it’s fashion, it’s beauty, it’s amazing, it’s different. I get bored, so that’s when me and my stylist [Kollin Carter], we get creative and come up with something new and amazing.”
The Grammy winner has become one of the leading stars of the fashion industry over the last three years. With her breakout #1 single “Bodak Yellow” in 2017, she made the phrase “bloody shoes” synonymous with Christian Louboutin’s high-priced red bottom heels.
Cardi gained universal praise for her appearance at the 2019 Met Gala. She arrived at “Fashion’s Biggest Night Out” in a Thom Browne creation which included 44 carats worth of rubies valued at $250,000. Plus, the 28-year-old Bronx native was named the new face of the Balenciaga fashion house in September of this year, and she will release her new Reebok collection on November 13.
In addition, Cardi B became the first female rapper to ever appear on the front of American Vogue, the magazine widely considered the “Fashion Bible.” The January 2020 Vogue cover was shot by photography living legend Annie Leibovitz, and it featured Cardi’s then-1-year-old daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus.