It’s that time of year again – the ten finalists of this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund have just been revealed, and hoping to shoot to style stardom this time are a mixed bunch of up-and-coming creatives.
But before we reveal the names, let’s talk about what’s at stake. $200,000 (with two runners-up getting $50,000 each) and a year’s mentoring to help build their business brains. Or, in lamens terms, a pretty helpful hand onto the path of success.
“Fashion is probably the only industry in the world where its fledgling talents are expected to be as creatively adept at running a business as they are at design,” says Anna Wintour. “Many, clearly, are not, and it’s through the support of the fund that these promising designers will be able to build a future for themselves—and for American fashion.”
Making the cut this year are a few familiar names – Prabal Gurang, Pamela Love of Pamela Love Jewellery, Joseph Altuzarra of Altuzarra and Eddie Borgo – alongside others we don’t recognise so much: Christian Cota, Robert Geller, Moss Lipow, Gregory Parkinson, Billy Reid and Oliver Helden and Paul Marlow of Loden Dager.
The winner won’t be unveiled until autumn, and though whoever wins will be in good company – previous winners include Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and, most recently, Sophie Theallet – the finalists will have a small mountain to climb before they get there.
According to WWD, the judging committee will be paying a visit to each of the designers’ studios, scrutinising their latest collections and setting them a design project before deciding a winner on November 15th.
In the meantime, we’ll be getting acquainted with all 10 – after all, the Fashion Fund finalists are usually a pretty good indication of the ones to watch.
