As Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen succinctly stated, “[Fashion] is an industry that constantly reinvents itself with new talent, new ideas and new generations of designers.” The question then arises: In a continuously changing industry, how do we create long-term opportunities for young designers that will allow them to work towards having a lasting impact?
To that end, the CFDA partnered with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to launch the Fashion Future Graduate Showcase, an important new initiative that connects top fashion graduates with industry professionals and foster their transition out of school and into their careers.
“The CFDA is committed to helping designers at every stage of their career and with the Fashion Graduate Fashion Showcase we are able to bridge the brightest talent to creative jobs,” said CFDA President and CEO Steven Kolb. “Having CFDA behind these students is not only an industry endorsement but a head start for them as they begin their careers.”
The showcase, a part of the NYCEDC Made in NY: Fashion Initiatives and supported by Accenture and Suntchi, will take place on May 23-24 2017. The venue will be transformed into a highly-designed dynamic display of student work. Participating in the showcase will be up to 100 of the top fashion graduates from Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design and Academy of Art University. The graduates will showcase their work in booths and have the opportunity to make connections with a variety of high-level fashion industry executives, including HR representatives. For many recent graduates, the level of exposure and the opportunity to network is unparalleled. The two-day event will also include panels and round-table discussions.
Since the ultimate goal of the program is to provide longevity when it comes to resources, exposure, and success, the showcase will live on year-round in a digital format. A bespoke section of CFDA.com is currently under development and will provide graduates (in addition to ones showing at the physical event) with a high-profile platform in which to market their work. “Collaborating with the City and building a robust digital presence that mirrors the physical showcase experience highly appealed to us,” said Marc Karimzadeh, CFDA’s Editorial and Communications Director. “We worked with our digital agency Hugo & Marie to develop a standalone editorial destination for FFGS, with student profiles and lookbooks and features on participating schools. They will live on CFDA.com for an entire year, giving the students exposure during this important next step in their careers.”
“This type of venue has been missing from the U.S. fashion education cycle for way too long,” said Simon Ungless, the Executive Director of the School of Fashion at Academy of Art University. The unique initiative has truly been developed from the ground-up, allowing the program to flexibly address needs within the fashion education system. With such diverse young talent within the fashion world today, the ability to streamline recognition and growth is a necessary step forward.
