American jewelry brand K/LLER was named the winner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Eco-Fashion Challenge award, in front of a style packed crowd on Wednesday.In conjunction with Lexus, the council and their designated committee hosted a wealth of fashion big names, which included Coco Rocha and Amber Valletta, at the MoMA’s The Modern restaurant in New York.Designer and former Challenge winner, Maria Cornejo, opened up the luncheon, saying she did not consider herself the “poster child” for sustainability, “but I do try really hard.” “In a business like this, our creativity relies on the clients, and to make them aware that eco is also interesting, innovative and it has a place in fashion,” she added, before revealing K/LLER would be taking home the $75,000 first place cash prize.It was the 5th year that the CFDA– a Source4Style partner – teamed up with the luxury car manufacturer for the competition, which celebrates US-based designers who display strong business acumen and innovative design, within the realms of sustainability.From this year’s submissions, the judging panel chose seven finalists before meeting one-on-one with each. Along with K/LLER, runners up Reformation and Study NY, each took away $5,000.Michael Miller and Katie Deguzman, the duo who make up K/LLER, met in 2000 at Parsons School of Design, where they studied furniture design. After graduating, Deguzman went on to design for Alexis Bittar and Justin Giunta, while Miller lent her hand to furniture, metal restoration and lighting design. The pair formed K/LLER in 2010. Deguzman told reporters on Wednesday that the brand plans to use the prize money to continue to grow and fulfil orders, as well as promote the acceptance of sustainability in fashion. "You can still be a luxury fashion brand and be sustainable and be cool. It can go hand in hand," said Deguzman, after the win.Established in 2010 to raise awareness and commitment to sustainable practices, the Eco Fashion Challenge requires that entrants use a minimum of 30% of ecological materials in their collection.The majority of K/LLER’s jewelry is made from 100% recycled materials, which are sourced in the U.S. Most pieces are handmade in their Brooklyn-based studio."A tough thing for us is that a lot of retailers don't give mind to the fact that [something] is sustainable or is recycled. If the retailers are asking for it, then the customers are asking for it. If there’s demand, it continues on," explained Deguzman.Andrea Lim, Engagement Marketing Manager at Lexus, said the Challenge is pivotal in providing industry recognition to eco-luxury designers. "The goal was to build awareness for these amazing designers who are doing thoughtful, responsible creations without the sacrifice to luxury," Lim told reporters."They deserve the spotlight and hopefully the incentive that we provide can change their life because that’s going to create that domino effect."Past winners of the award include Maria Cornejo, Marcia Patmos and Melissa Joy Manning. Natalie Chanin, who took out the prize with her Alabama Chanin brand in 2013, offered up a piece of advice to budding environmental designers.“I don't think there's a single answer, but I do think it starts with the materials—that's a very dirty part of the fashion process,” Chanin told reporters, after her win last year. “Fair trade is the second part, and finally, I think simple transparency. The more transparent a designer chooses to be from the beginning, the easier it is to stay on the right path."Applications for the 2015 Eco-Fashion Challenge competition open in April next year. Designers can find more details on the CFDA’s official website, cfda.com.