Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium celebrated with livestream and digital fashion shown in a virtual gallery

On Tuesday October 15 2024 at 5:00 PM (17:00 CEST), the Cultuurfonds and the Dutch Fashion Foundation will announce the winner of the 13th edition of the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium. This stipend consisting of a financial contribution of 50,000 euros will be festively presented to one of the best Dutch fashion designers of the moment in De Nieuwe Liefde in Amsterdam. The Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium award ceremony can again be attended digitally for free via a livestream on the Dutch Fashion Foundation website.

A crucial financial fashion award

Cathelijne Broers, director Het Cultuurfonds: “At this moment a financial fashion prize is crucial because it recognizes creativity and craftsmanship. I am therefore pleased to welcome you here in De Nieuwe Liefde to for the 13th time offer a mega-talented fashion designer room for artistic development, experimentation and courage. All made possible thanks to the annual 50,000 euros from our generous anonymous benefactor!”

The Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium for exceptionally and advanced Dutch fashion designers was established in 2011 by an anonymous benefactor at Het Cultuurfonds. It is the biggest grant available to individual fashion designers in the Netherlands and consists of a financial incentive of €50.000,- euro and a passed-on trophy designed by Atelier Ted Noten. The Mode Stipendium positions itself as an incentive and achievement prize. It is the most prestigious acknowledgement a fashion designer can receive within the contemporary Dutch fashion field. The grant enables the designer to take the necessary steps in the further development of the label and brand.

Designers who qualify for the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium have been individually running a unique fashion design label for a considerable time and are based in the Netherlands. They put Dutch fashion nationally and internationally on the map with a unique signature and have developed an exceptional quality within their collection and in their business strategy.

Growing tree of talents

Angélique Westerhof, director Dutch Fashion Foundation: “The Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium has already meant a lot to the previous 12 Dutch fashion labels and remains focused on being a platform of connection, inspiration and aspiration for the next generation of emerging fashion designers. Every year the 'tree' of exceptionally talented Mode Stipendium recipients grows and we can discern the lasting effects that the creative contribution and endurance of these designers have on the cultural sector. The Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium strives for a continuation of artistic and realistic dialogues that nourish the legacy of Dutch fashion design, both individually and collectively."

Previous recipients of the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium are Mohamed Benchellal (2023), MAISON the FAUX (2022), Claes Iversen (2021), Erik Frenken (2019), Bas Kosters (2018), Ronald van der Kemp (2017), Iris van Herpen (2016), Youasme Measyou (2015), Jan Taminiau (2014), Truus and Riet Spijkers (2013), Francisco van Benthum (2012) and Ilja Visser (2011).

Virtual gallery

New work by previous Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium recipients can be experienced in the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium Virtual Gallery. In this specially developed, and for this edition newly updated Digital Gallery of Honor with fashion art, designers who received the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium in the past 13 years are highlighted in a new way. The day after the event in De Nieuwe Liefde a special installation is added to the Digital Gallery of Honor with work of the new recipient and the Virtual Gallery will remain open to visit. The Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium Virtual Gallery is free and available to everyone, even those who don’t have any experience with digital Fashion and the metaverse.

Signing up for the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium livestream and visiting the Virtual Gallery is possible through the website of the Dutch Fashion Foundation.

The Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium is organized by Het Cultuurfonds in collaboration with de Dutch Fashion Foundation. FashionUnited is media partner of the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium Edition 13.