Bailey Adams, from Giles County, Tennessee, is currently finishing his BFA at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Adams’ approach to sustainability includes focus to biodegradable luxury materials with an interest in carbon-negative innovations, and recoding sportswear with values such as inclusive shapes and timelessness.

As the inaugural recipient of the 2021 CFDA + Swarovski Foundation Re: Generation Innovation Design Scholar Award, Adams has been awarded a $30,000 scholarship blended with mentorship. Adams’ submission for the Re: Generation Innovation Scholar Award strives to meaningfully address and attain the following SDG Goals: SDG 5 Gender Equity, SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 12 Responsible Consumption + Production.

In August, Adams was selected, via virtual presentation, by Swarovski Foundation Chairperson Nadja Swarovski, CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, and Public School NY Managing Partner and Version Tomorrow Co-Founder Alan Mak. Through careful review by Nadja Swarovski, Adams was identified as one of five student finalists from an initial 17 CFDA shortlisted candidates and 320 faculty-endorsed scholarship submissions.

For this Giving Tuesday, we sat down with Adams to discuss how it feels to be a 2021 CFDA scholar recipient, how the pandemic hindered his creativity, his passion for fashion’s future, and inspiration.

Hi Bailey! How does it feel to be a 2021 CFDA Scholar?

Being a CFDA Scholar has been an amazing, fulfilling adventure! Meeting other CFDA scholars, sharing our ideas on the fashion industry, and being able to learn about other people’s visions of the future of fashion during a pandemic has been an extremely humbling and mind-opening experience.

Speaking of the pandemic, how has the pandemic hindered your creatively?

Being at home in Tennessee and learning online were my largest obstacles to overcome in the pandemic. Living many miles away from fabric stores was a huge obstacle as the feeling and drape of the fabric influences much of the design work that I do. I had to work a lot with online fabric stores to get the materials that I needed in advance so that I could work more efficiently.

I know your work is guided by your research on sustainability and healthy materials, how has becoming a CFDA Scholar helped you achieve what you set out to do? 

Yes, my largest struggle has been finding fabrics that are both luxurious and low impact. This intersection is something I’ve been trying to explore in my work and the CFDA Scholarship Fund has helped me through material sourcing guides and meeting people at events who have introduced me to materials and ways of thinking about luxury and sustainability.

What did you learn about yourself as a designer throughout this process?

The application process was a very explorative time in my educational career. The process helped me to be able to better explicate my aesthetic and values in design, and in my life in general. One moment that stands out to me is when I had a realization that my work must be authentic to me or it does not have the ability to speak for me.

I love that! You mentioned that fabric inspires much of the design work that you do, what else inspires you and your work?

Different places, nature, architecture, and art all play a huge role in my inspiration. And my goal from gathering inspiration is to use modern themes to create uniquely contemporary and timeless collections.

What do you want to express to the industry as a CFDA Scholar?

In my work, I want to bridge the gap between different concepts in fashion. I want to show that we can use old materials in new ways to create something unique, and/or that we can use sustainable materials to make something new and luxurious.

Last question. Fill in the blank. “Design has the power to ________.”

“…to bridge the gap between the past and present.”

Contribute to the future of American Fashion by donating to the CFDA Scholarship Fund here.