“We wanted to try something we had never done before,” said CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Victor Glemaud of his design challenge look with Becca McCharen-Tran of Chromat: a fire engine red formal knit evening dress with signature cutouts.

Paired up in five groups of two, the 10 CVFF finalists were tasked with exploring the fine art of the collaboration, and challenged to work with their partners to create a single look or piece that spoke to both their brand DNAs. This, of course, was no small task as the judges purposely paired the brands that had very different aesthetics: Vaquera with Mateo New York, Chromat and Victor Glemaud, Dyne and Sandy Liang, RTA and Ahlem and Jordan Askill with Telfar LLC. The name of the game? Respect and balance. Claire Sully of Vaquera explained, “Because our brands are so different, we wanted to highlight each other’s strengths instead of trying to meld them into one. Mateo’s jewelry has a strong sense of simplicity,  which we wanted to showcase while staying true to the Vacquera woman.”

Because there is no shortage of collaborations in fashion – Rihanna and Chopard, Gigi and Tommy, UGG x Jeremy Scott and Vêtements with Levi’s come to mind – the judges felt it was important for the designer to hone this important and often elusive skill.

“I’m so inspired!” raved Ahlem Manai-Platt of Ahlem. “I could have made 10 pairs of glasses!”