Inside WSJ. Magazine’s 2022 Innovator Awards

Celebrities, creatives and industry leaders gathered at the Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday night to honor change-makers. By Ashley Wong Nov. 2, 2022 Tap story

WSJ. Magazine’s Innovator Awards honored change-makers in comedy (Maya Rudolph), art (Jenny Holzer), design (Jony Ive), entertainment (Margot Robbie), architecture (Jeanne Gang), fashion (Anthony Vaccarello), music (Anitta) and humanitarianism (World Central Kitchen). { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] }

Gray Sorrenti and Dominic Fike chatted with Tyler Mitchell at the bar before flopping onto futuristic-looking white couches. Once situated, the two said they were most excited to see Anthony Vaccarello. “He’s our boo,” Ms. Sorrenti said. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] }

Questlove was excited to catch up with Maya Rudolph. “I’m at the cool kids’ table this year!” he said. “I’m with legends right now.” “Normally I’d be the DJ here,” he said. His go-to artists for getting any party started? “Everything from Benny Goodman to Beyoncé.” { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] }

Art innovator Jenny Holzer Art Innovator: Jenny Holzer

During cocktail hour, Pat McGrath held court in a corner of the room, fresh off her cameo in Taylor Swift’s “Bejeweled” music video. (She calls her “Tay Tay.”) Asked about the brilliant shades of blue eyeshadow in the video, Ms. McGrath said the colors—Mothership Mega, Celestial Nirvana and Aquarium Green—come from one of her upcoming palettes.

Nick Cave and architecture innovator Jeanne Gang. Architecture Innovator: Jeanne Gang

“You’ve always been a hustler,” J Balvin told Anitta while presenting her award. He recalled a time when she expressed doubt about a new song she was working on. After he encouraged her to move forward with the song, it went on to become a No. 1 hit. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] }

In her acceptance speech, Anitta addressed the ongoing political tension in her home country of Brazil, following Jair Bolsonaro’s defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “I want to propose to my country that we just look with love to our neighbors,” she said, growing emotional. Music Innovator: Anitta

Accepting her award, entertainment innovator Margot Robbie talked about starting her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, which is focused on telling women’s stories. “Doing things differently than how they’ve been done before does take guts,” she said. “But it’s worth it, and I think tonight is a nice reminder of that.” { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] } Entertainment Innovator: Margot Robbie

Greta Gerwig, presenting Ms. Robbie’s award, praised the actor’s passion and work ethic on the set of their upcoming “Barbie” movie. “I’d be thrilled to only ever give awards to Margot Robbie because she deserves all of them, and I think we should make more of them just to give them to her,” Ms. Gerwig said.

Humanitarian innovator José Andrés used his acceptance speech to make a call to action about the Russia-Ukraine war. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] } Humanitarian Innovator: José Andrés

“Take a look at my pin here,” Mr. Andrés said, pulling at a blue-and-yellow “Stand With Ukraine” pin. “If there’s one place in the world that’s fighting today for freedom and democracy, where people—men, women, children, everybody—are dying as we are having dinner right now, that is Ukraine.”

“Jony democratized great design,” Laurene Powell Jobs said while presenting an award to design innovator Jony Ive. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Ive read an email Steve Jobs wrote to himself, expressing his admiration for humanity and inventions such as music, language and mathematics. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] } Design Innovator: Jony Ive

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough.

Jerry Seinfeld, Dasha Zhukova, Jessica Seinfeld, Kristina O'Neill and Nick Brown.

In a speech opening the night, Kristina O’Neill thanked Robert Thomson for bringing her onto WSJ. Magazine 10 years ago. “The world is a very different place from what it was back in 2012,” she said. “The eight people we’re here to celebrate tonight represent the height of innovation that this moment calls for.”

At dinner, Hailey Bieber, Kate Moss and Amber Valletta cozied up with fashion innovator Anthony Vaccarello. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] } Fashion Innovator: Anthony Vaccarello

Huma Abedin and Amy Griffin

Nikki Kynard and Charlotte Gainsbourg

Gabriella Karefa-Johnson

Kate Moss, Anthony Vacarello and Mica Argañaraz

The full class of 2022 innovators, from left: Jony Ive; Yuliya Stefanyuk and José Andrés of World Central Kitchen; Maya Rudolph; Anthony Vaccarello; Jenny Holzer; Margot Robbie; Anitta; and Jeanne Gang. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] }

The 2022 WSJ. Magazine Innovators: The Artist Who Warned Us About Meme Culture How Maya Rudolph Became the Queen of Comedy How José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen Went to War The Architect Behind New York’s Most Exciting New Building Anthony Vaccarello Takes Saint Laurent to the Next Level How Anitta Made ‘Envolver’ and Took Over the World Margot Robbie Is a Force of Change in Hollywood Jony Ive on Life After Apple

Produced by: Lily Kupets and Sara Bosworth Photos: BFA; Getty Images; Associated Press; Saskia Lawaks for WSJ. Magazine