Six years ago The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue Magazine established an endowment to help budding designers. The selection committee announced the ten finalists for this years Fashion Fund Award, created to help emerging fashion and accessory designers receive the business mentoring and funding needed to launch their label.
Previous winners include Alexander Wang, Doo-Ri Chung, Proenza Schouler, Trovata, and Rogan Gregory of Rogan.
The ten talented and diverse designers selected to compete for America’s Next Top Designer 2009 include womenswear designers Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin, Gary Graham, Wayne Lee of Wayne, Flora Gill and Alexa Adams of Ohne Titel and Sophie Theallet.
Also vying for the prize were jewelry designers Waris Ahluwalia of House of Waris and Monique Péan, George Esquivel of Esquivel Shoes and menswear designers Simon Spurr of Spurr and Patrik Ervell.
On Monday, November 16th at a gala event held at Skylight Studios in NYC Sophie Theallet was declared the winner of the $200,000 cash prize and one year of mentoring from industry professionals. Meanwhile runners-up Ervell and Pean each received $50,000 and a business mentor.
We had very strong applicant pool this year, particularly among the jewelers,” say Vogue’s Editor In Chief, Anna Wintour. “The ten finalists we selected are a talented, diverse group, who are building healthy independent businesses in challenging times.”
For more information on all ten finalists click here
