The ten 2024 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists are not only incredibly talented; they’re also not afraid of heights—especially when it comes to the 123rd Floor Penthouse of Central Park Tower.
On Thursday afternoon, Vogue100, Friends of the CFDA, and Nordstrom celebrated the designers and the Nordstrom Secure the Space Challenge at the spectacular spot with a salon show, shopping, and cocktails – and stunning 360 city views – hosted by Friends of the CFDA Chair Jordan Roth, Nordstrom’s Rickie De Sole, and Vogue’s Alexandra Michler Kopelman and Naomi Elizée.
The 10 finalists showcased their pieces on racks for guests – including Raul Penaranda, Mona Patel, Camila Alves, Cathy Ho-Lee, Elizabeth Kurpis, James Frazier, Yao King, and Dr. Macrene Alexiades, to peruse and purchase. They were joined by past Fashion Funders Jonathan Cohen, Jennifer Fisher, Batsheva Hay, Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Chris Gelinas, Choe Gosselin, Danielle Hirsch Frankel, Kozaburo Azaka, Christopher John Rogers, Henry Zankov, Conley Averett, Melitta Baumeister, Kim Shui, Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell, and Aurora James, who serves on the program’s Selection Committee.
“It’s so vital, now especially, to be supporting designers as they first start out,” said Roth, resplendent in a sculptural Melitta Baumeister look. “Our emerging designers are the lifeblood of fashion, and my closet.”
This was the second year that Nordstrom invited the ten finalists to participate in the Nordstrom Secure the SPACE Challenge. Earlier in the day, the designers walked the Nordstrom buying team through their presentations.
Launched in 2015, Nordstrom SPACE is an in-store and online boutique dedicated to advanced and emerging designers.
Dynasty and Soull Ogun of L’Enchanteur were crowned the winner of the challenge.
“We have been working really hard to showcase our work and to share it with the world,” Dynasty said. “We are so happy and honored.”
