The CFDA is proud to announce our partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, joining the celebration of its inaugural fashion exhibit Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour, curated by Michelle Tolini Finamore and featuring over 90 designers and iconic American labels from Sep. 10 through Jan. 30, 2023.
As part of our collaboration and through a gift at the direction of Olivia Walton, a new scholarship is also being introduced called the CFDA x Crystal Bridges Heartland Scholars Award, which will foster design talent in students based, studying or raised in the American Heartland (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas). The CFDA will host virtual school and student engagements to guide, inspire and connect with students. An annual call for applications and all scholarship information will launch via CFDA.com in January 2023.
In addition, a fashion symposium is planned in partnership with the museum for October 26 which will bring together leading industry voices to celebrate American fashion design and share stories, experiences and insights on sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusivity. The day will culminate with the museum’s first-ever gala to support museum education programs.
“The CFDA values all fashion talent from across the U.S. and we have a historic connection to the American Heartland. Our founder, Eleanor Lambert, who established the CFDA 60 years ago, was an Eastern Heartland Indiana native with a vision to place American fashion designers into the global cultural spotlight,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb said. “CFDA is thrilled to partner with Crystal Bridges and further our commitment to amplify the important contributions of American fashion from every corner of our country, and with this opportunity, identify and support the exceptional talent from the Heartland region through our organization’s resources.”
The exhibit Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour in Bentonville, Ark. explores and celebrates the nation’s diverse fashion heritage and spirit of invention while spotlighting the untold stories of underrecognized and underrepresented designers, important contemporary movements shaping the industry, and American fashion’s resonance in global trends and visual culture.
Through seven themed sections showcasing the expanse of American fashion as the amalgamation of all things culture — from denim jeans to bathing suits, sneakers to cowboy boots, zoot suits to leisure suits, sportswear to underwear, and Hollywood glamour to street style — the exhibition emphasizes the work of Black and Native American designers and features geographical representation of fashion designers and histories from across the country. It will also feature designs from CFDA members Carolina Herrera, Anna Sui, Christian Siriano, Natalie “Alabama” Chanin, and the late Virgil Abloh, Isabel Toledo, Halston, Rudi Gernreich and Ann Lowe, among others.
Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour will be on view September 10, 2022, to January 30, 2023.
