Way up high on Vogue’s 20th floor offices, the magazine’s iconic fashion closet set the stage for this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists to make their inaugural presentations to the judges.

It’s a big moment for the designers, many of whom will meet the judges—and their fellow finalists—for the first time ever.

Some locals only had to cross boroughs to 1 World Trade Center on Wednesday morning; others traveled across the country, and one from their native reservation – all to complete their first assignment: present the past, present and future of their brands to the panel.

Backstage, first day jitters were buzzing as steamers were ironing out wrinkles in clothing, while others polished and arranged jewelry and accessory trays.

Last-minute fittings took places on their brand muses, who served as embodiments of the brand and representative of their vision.

In between the 15-minute presentations and before their big moment, the CFDA got an opportunity to ask the finalists rapid get-to-know-you questions.

Ashlynn by Ashlyn Park

Hometown?

I was born in Seoul, South Korea. I later moved to Tokyo to study at Bunka University and started my first career at Yohji Yamamoto. I was a menswear designer at Y3. I worked with many designers from Adidas. I gradually started looking for opportunities outside of the Japan, moved to New York City in 2011 and founded my brand in 2021.

If you could describe your brand in three words, which three words would they be? 


Refined. Restraint. Emotion.

What are you hoping to get out of your journey in this program?

The most important thing about this journey is finding who I am. My clothes tell my history and journey, including all the emotional paths and things that I have been experienced. My grandfather was painter and my dad was a marketing professor. I have always respected artists, and I wanted to live my life as an artist, so I’m fusing that knowledge that I’m hearing from my dad, the business aside, with my artistry.

Aubero by Julian Louie

Hometown?

I’m from Santa Cruz, California.

What does your Aubero mean?

It is an oblique reference to Oberon, the King of the Fairies from Midsummer Night’s Dream. There is always a little bit of theater, of fantasy and dress-up in the collection.

If you had to describe your brand in three words, which would they be?

Expressive. Intimate. Direct.

Talk to me about your muse and what they’re wearing.

This is Finley. We’ve worked together for a few seasons now. He’s wearing the Marden preservation coat, named after Brice Marden’s paintings of swirling lines. It’s made out of scraps of vintage material and all the offcuts from production and development. I save all the waste and then rework it into one-of-a-kind or limited edition pieces. Everything is caged under tulle and all hand quilted together. Everything is made in New York.

Don’t Let Disco by Ashley Moubayed

Hometown?

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

What does Don’t Let Disco mean?

It’s a play on words.
The whole idea or our production philosophy is that you don’t let go of these precious objects. 65 percent of the materials we use are actually from vintage antique jewelry pieces that have been discarded. We’re prioritizing natural materials like wood, shells, glass, clay, and then the other portion of that is we’re working with independent bead artisans, both local and international. The whole idea is that if you see it and you like it, don’t let it go, because sometimes it’s one-of-one and we may not be able to make it again. And, well, disco for a good time. I love the ’70s, and I think it was such an incredible time just for, like, people of color and, like, expressing yourself and style. It’s just one of my favorite eras.

If you had to describe your brand in three words, which three words would they be?

Chic. Whimsical. Artful.

What are you most looking forward to getting out of this program?

Innovation. I know that this program is going to be a challenge and it’s going to be hard, but any time I’ve been uncomfortable or have needed to challenge the way I think about design, it’s always pushed me towards further innovation.

Tell us about your muse and what she’s wearing.

My muse is Heather Hearst, and she is wearing our latest keeper collar, which are interchangeable totem charms. Our wraps are about 77 inches, and there’s a tiny little silk knot in between each bead, so it moves like a ribbon.

Heirlome by Stephanie Suberville

Hometown?

I am from Monterrey, Mexico.

What does Heirlome mean and why did you name your brand that?

Every season we collaborate with different Mexican artisans in the development of our prints, and I like the idea of heirlooms being the skills that get passed down to your family members. The artisans we work with in Mexico are families of fifth-, sixth- and seventh-generation artisans, and I like the idea of helping them preserve their work through our brand in our own small way.

What three words would you use to describe your brand?

Craft. Elegant. Artisanal.

Who is your muse and what are they wearing?

This is Luiza, my friend and fit model. We’ve been working together for almost 15 years, at five different brands. There was lots of dreaming of doing my own brand and a lot of crying in dressing rooms together with her. We’ve been witnesses to each other’s growth and journey, and it’s a beautiful relationship we have.

Jamie Okuma

Hometown?

I live on an Indian Reservation in Southern California, and that is where my home base and operations are.

Why did you get into fashion and what inspired you to start designing?

I don’t know that it was a choice. 
I’ve been doing this pretty much since birth in one way or another. It started out with doing outfits for dancing, powwowing and cultural things and it just turned into this. Everything that you see is something that’s come from my life or what I live around. It’s very important to me to have authenticity out there because there is a need and a love of what native design is, and I’m here for the authenticity of it.

What are the three words you would use to describe your brand?

Colorful. Loud. Awesome.

Can you talk to me about your muse, who they are, what they’re wearing?

This is my girl, Gabby. She’s a native model that’s living in New York, and she came all the way from Alaska to be here for me. She’s wearing a custom piece I made for Lily Gladstone. It is hand dyed, a process I purposely did to resemble what this design is…a parfleche, what we use for carrying cases and which is painted onto rawhide.

Meruert Tolegen

Hometown? 

Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Describe your brand in three words.

Bold. Kooky. Defined.

What do you hope to get out of your journey through this program?

I’m just lucky to be here. I never dreamt I would even be doing this, or that there would even be people wearing my clothes. I look forward to all of the people that can offer their input and all of the possible mentorship, which is something that I really need.

Peter Do

Hometown?

Biên Hòa, Vietnam.

If you could describe your band in three words, which would they be? 


Craft. Modular. Versatile.

What do you hope to get out of this program?

Support. We want to cultivate, meet everybody and ask for support to take the brand to the next level.

Who is your muse and tell me what they’re wearing?

We actually didn’t bring a muse. I brought the team and we’re all just wearing the looks. I feel like people don’t wear their clothes enough. They’re meant to be worn. We love repeating outfits and wearing what we make every day. And we’re proud of it.

Bernard James

Hometown?

I’m from the greatest city in the world, New York City. Born and raised in Crown Heights, Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, which is actually huge inspiration for the collection because I grew up next to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. I use a lot of flowers in my work because of that.

How long have you had your brand and been designing?

I’ve been designing for over a decade. It’s crazy to think of how long I’ve been designing, but I officially started [the brand] in 2020.

If you had to describe your brand in three words, which three words would they be?

Emotional. Intellectual. Sexy.

Tell me a little bit about who your muse is today and what they represent and what they’re wearing.

Amanda [Murray] is one of the main reasons why I do what I do, so it’s so special that she’s here. Not only is she a force in this industry, and as her own person, but she is one of the people that inspired me to go into fine jewelry.

She is wearing an assortment of different staples from the collection. She’s wearing a version of a Pavé flora, which is this diamond encrusted ring with two special flowers, the daisy and sunflower. The necklace is inspired by this idea of transparency and being able to see your skin through the jewelry, so every link has these cutouts, where the skin interacts with the jewelry in a beautiful way.

What’s your favorite flower?

I would say the birds of Paradise because it’s my mother’s favorite, and every time I see it I think about her. I really want to make her something special with it soon. I’m just trying to figure out how to design it.

Gabe Gordon by Gabe Gordon and Timothy Gibbons

If you had to describe your brand in three words, which three words would those be? 


Americana. Queer. Worn.

What are you most excited about to be a part of this program?

GG: Getting mentorship is so invaluable. We’re so excited to be taking business classes and get to hear feedback from all the judges.

TG: I also am excited with the mentorship because we both have no formal business training. We’re not backed by anybody. We constantly talk about wanting to learn and wanting to be taught, so we are looking forward to that.

Tell me a little bit about your muse and what they’re wearing today.

GG: Our muse is Euhyne. We met last year in the fall. She was street cast by one of our casting directors for our campaign, and she’s been part of the brand ever since. I think she really embodies who we think about when we’re designing; this queer, strong person, who also just represents the type of girls that I looked up to as a kid. Like, I want to be and am inspired by this type of girl.

TG: She’s the modern contemporary American girl next door. She’s queer, she’s fun, and she’s got badass style.

GG: This look was woven directly onto the dress form, kind of thinking about the dress form and the body as a loom. We put pins into the dress form and wove through the yarns—and the yarns were they’re all discarded yarns from past collections. We’re always like thinking about reusing the materials and creating new textiles with them.

Bach Mai

Hometown?

Houston, Texas.

Three words to describe your brand.

Irreverent. Glamour. Femininity.

Who is your muse and what are they wearing?

My muse today was Ivy Getty. She’s wearing these tearaway basketball shorts made of leather and velvet embroidered with pearls and a chiffon bias top.

What do you hope to get out of this program?

I’m just really excited for all of the mentorship and to learn from all the amazing people in this program. I think there’s a lot of growth left and I’m really hoping to figure out how to hone my voice and figure out how to allow my creativity to speak and how to amplify that.