At Wednesday evening’s CFDA | Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant event, newly-crowned first winner Grace Ling called the initiative a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” from an inspiring trip to Seoul, South Korea to the friendships with her fellow finalists, Andrew Kwon and Haoran Li and Siying Qu of Private Policy, all rising AAPI talent she called her “new best friends.”
The sophisticated space at Genesis House in New York’s Meatpacking District featured beautiful vignettes of bespoke looks each designer created to highlight the tension and balance between their Asian heritage and modernity.
A femme fatale character inspired Ling’s three looks—which, each, evoked seduction, transformation, and initiation. She incorporated references to figures from Asian folktales, and motifs including hair, which symbolizes respect in Asian culture. The designer also used a unique 3D printing process for one of the pieces.
“It has been an incredible experience working with the CFDA and these immensely talented designers throughout this one-of-a-kind program supporting the AAPI community,” said Rachel Espersen, executive director, brand experience, Genesis House & Studios, at Genesis Motor America. “Our three finalists produced beautiful works of art that showcase their unique style and interpretation of their heritage, and we’re deeply proud of their journeys over the course of these last few months.”
In addition to Espersen and Kolb, the inaugural edition’s judges were Jodie Chan of Carolina Herrera, Laurent Claquin of Kering Americas, and Wen Zhou of 3.1 Phillip Lim.
Additionally, the designers were given the opportunity to receive counsel from Prabal Gurung, consultant Grace Cha, and Google’s Stephanie Horton, and had access to the advisory board which included Alina Cho, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, Jodie Turner-Smith, Sandra Park of Saks Fifth Avenue, Rachel Espersen and Steven Kolb. They also received a $40,000 grant on behalf of Genesis to finance their design innovations.
As the winner, Ling was awarded an additional $60,000 for the development of her collection.
It wasn’t just the work of the three designers on show on Wednesday. Alongside them were looks from AAPI fashion designers Altuzarra, Bibhu Mohapatra, Monse, Naeem Khan, Peter Som, PH5, Prabal Gurung, and Vivienne Tam.
The evening’s guests, which included Kemio, Meredith Duxbury, Tinx, Remi Bader, Sai De Silva, Peter Som, Mimi So, Sang-A Im Propp, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, and Vivian Tu, enjoyed the installations and cheered for Ling and the runners-up.
CFDA CEO Steven Kolb echoed the sentiment. “Each of the three finalists of the inaugural CFDA | Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant program showcased exceptional work, which made the selection of a winner very difficult,” he said. “Congratulations to Grace Ling and as well as Andrew Kwon and Private Policy. We look forward to seeing you continue to build your brands in innovative ways while honoring the invaluable contributions the AAPI community has made to American fashion.”
