Shane Gabier

Plus: See the Swarovski-studded creations the nominees have created in the lead-up.

Chicago-based label Creatures of the Wind has already won its fair share of industry accolades, including a recent CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear nomination and placing as finalists in the prestigious Woolmark prize. But while prizes are certainly nice, it's money that makes a business run--and from the sounds of it, designers Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters just received a lot of it.

The 2013 CFDA awards, fashion's Oscars if you will, will be handed out in mere hours. The industry has been gathering to recognize and honor its leading talents since 1981. A lot has changed since the early years of the awards. What was once a small intimate industry event is now a widely covered celebrity event. "I think it reflects a broader shift over the last few years where fashion has become more and more popular," Style.com's editor in chief Dirk Standen told us. "The internet has had a lot to do with that. It's entertainment on a par with movies and music." So to prep you for tonight's awards we've assembled this handy primer. In it you'll find the complete list of nominees, our predictions on who will take home the big prizes, and all the celebrity presenters and attendees slated to show up.

Shane Gabier and Chris Peters, the designers behind the amazing brand Creatures of the Wind, went from teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to winning a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner-up award in about seven months. Such groundbreaking recognition is somehwat unheard of in an the fashion industry, though even more groundbreaking might be the fact that this duo's designs actually live up to the hype surrounding them. They garnered attention for their innovative and meticulously crafted clothes, and have stuck to that vision through ups, downs, and awards. I met up with the duo on a rainy morning just before Fashion Week to find out how Shane Gabier and Chris Peters manage their high-flying fashion life with their low-key Chicago based existence. It's pretty unreal.