On Wednesday, last year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner Melitta Baumeister and runners-up Rachel Scott and Henry Zankov gathered at Le Chalet at L’Avenue at Saks in New York. The reason? To announce the 2024 Fashion Fund finalists with Saks, CFDA and Vogue, and the new group of designers – marking 20 years of the Fund – are just as exciting and talented as their predecessors.
The 10 finalists are:
Taylor Thompson, 5000
Connor McKnight, CONNOR MCKNIGHT
Grace Ling, GRACE LING
Kate Barton, KATE BARTON
Dynasty and Soull Ogun, L’ENCHANTEUR
Spencer Phipps, PHIPPS
Presley Oldham, PRESLEY OLDHAM
Sebastien and Marianne Amisial, SEBASTIEN AMI.
Jane Wade, JANE WADE
Jackson Wiederhoeft, WIEDERHOEFT
“What better way to celebrate the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s twentieth year than with this year’s group of finalists, who perfectly represent the creativity and ambition of American fashion today. Every year the finalists thrill and surprise us as we get to know them, and the class of 2024 will, I am sure, be no different,” Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue, said.
“This milestone year’s group of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists reflects the creativity and diversity of American design, from women’s and men’s sportswear to eveningwear and semi-precious, fashion and ethical jewelry. These exciting young voices will play a significant role in shaping the future of American fashion,” Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA, said.
The winner will receive $300,000 and the two runners-up will each take home $100,000. The program will also continue to create meaningful business mentorships and a pathway to success for all finalists.
The 2024 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund is generously supported by Fashion League, Instagram, Nordstrom, Saks, Tommy Hilfiger and Vogue.
Saks has provided ongoing support for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund over the past several years as part of the retailer’s strategy to support the next generation of fashion talent by providing exposure, education, and equitable access to opportunities for success.
As part of the Fashion Fund season, Nordstrom will invite the ten finalists to participate in the Nordstrom Secure the SPACE Challenge for the second year. One winner will be selected to have their collection carried at select Nordstrom stores for an upcoming season. Launched in 2015, Nordstrom SPACE is an in-store and online boutique dedicated to advanced and emerging designers. The Secure the Space Challenge will take place on Thursday, June 6th.
For the 20th milestone occasion, the Fashion Fund is also bringing back the Design Challenge, a legacy program which will be supported by the Tommy Hilfiger brand. The founder and principal designer himself will also serve as the lead mentor to the 10 finalists. It will mark the first Design Challenge since 2019.
The Fashion Fund winner will be announced in mid-October at a celebratory dinner gala. Stay tuned for more!
