Telfar Clemens of Telfar just won the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and Ahlem’s Ahlem Manai-Platt and Chromat’s Becca McCharen-Tran were named runners-up.
This was the fourteenth CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Clemens will receive a monetary award of $400,000, while Manai-Platt and McCharen-Tran each take home $150,000. The three designers will also each meet with an assigned mentor.
Model Karlie Kloss and Christian Dior Artistic Director Maria Grazia Chiuri made the announcement during a dinner at The Weylin in Brooklyn generously supported by JD.com. Chiuri served as the evening’s keynote speaker, and earlier in the evening was in conversation with Vogue International Editor at Large Hamish Bowles.
In addition to the three recipients, the 2017 finalists were: Christopher Bevans of Dyne; Victor Glemaud; Jordan Askill; Matthew Harris of Mateo New York; Eli Azran of RTA; Sandy Liang, and Patric DiCaprio, Bryn Taubensee, David Moses and Claire Sully of Vaquera.
“In our ever-growing fashion family, diversity is very important,” CFDA Chairwoman Diane von Furstenberg said. “This year, I am proud to say that our group of 10 finalists is the most diverse we have had since the first Fashion Fund 14 years ago. They are extremely talented and represent the future of fashion in America, the country they’re from or have chosen to make their home—a country that is built on diversity.”
The winners were selected by the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Selection Committee featuring Joseph Altuzarra, Eva Chen, Mark Holgate, Jeffrey Kalinsky, Steven Kolb, Roopal Patel, Nicole Phelps, Andrew Rosen, and Diane von Furstenberg.
“The annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund dinner is the important conclusion to CFDA’s and Vogue’s work in supporting the future generation of American fashion, and appreciate JD for recognizing the value in new American talent,” said Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA.
JD helps brands engage with China, the world’s second largest consumer and luxury market, and expand their customer bases into the country. With the launch of JD Fashion earlier this year, JD is supporting designers and meeting demand from their customers who are increasingly looking to brands in the U.S. and Europe to express their individuality.
“JD is proud to support the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in its quest to develop young talent,” said Xia Ding, President of JD Fashion. “The luxury market in China is quickly growing and the Chinese consumer has a strong appetite for American fashion and an eye for new and interesting brands. It is our duty to support emerging designers as they are just beginning to grow their businesses. We are excited to help bridge the next generation of American design talent with the Chinese fashion community.”
This year, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund also launched a business training program that included a pitch day to hypothetical potential investors. Each finalist was given 10 minutes to pitch their businesses to experts who provided candid feedback. The 2017 Business Pitch Judges were Nick Brown, David ibnAle, Steven Kolb, Natach Minnitti, David Neville, and Andrew Rosen.
The 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund program was generously underwritten by the following companies: Caleres, Coach Foundation, J.Crew, IMG Fashion, Instagram, kate spade new york, Lane Bryant, LIFEWTR, M•A•C Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Theory, and Vogue.
