CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund confirms top ten finalists for 2017

Every year, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund hosts a must-attend event full of emerging local designers in order to showcase off new trends and creatives in the area. This year's event has finalized its top contenders that are in it to win it.

The competition consists of ten newcomers that compete for the title of winner as well as mentorship from both Vogue editors and members from CFDA. Vogue Runway director Nicole Phelps, Instagram head of fashion partnerships Eva Chen, senior vice president and fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue Roopal Patel and Joseph Altuzurra made up the judge council for the event. Yesterday, on July 17, these four judges finalized competitors down to just ten noteworthy, fresh designers.

The finalists are Ahlem Manai-Platt of Ahlem; Becca McCharen-Tran of Chromat; Christopher Bevans of Dyne; Jordan Askill; Matthew Harris of Mateo; Eli Azran of RtA; Sandy Liang; Telfar Clemens of Telfar; Patric DiCaprio, Bryn Taubensee, David Moses, and Clair Sully of Vaquera, and Victor Glemaud, according to Vogue.com.

“The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund continues to transform the careers of American designers through mentoring and financial support,” President and CEO of the CFDA Steven Kolb said in a statement.“By fostering emerging talent, the Fashion Fund lays the foundation for the future of American fashion.”

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund announces finalists for 2017

Many of the finalists on this list will present their latest collection at New York Fashion Week's Spring 2018 shows this fall. They will also put on a fashion show in Los Angeles at the Chateau Marmont this October. Until a winner is announced, the judges will continue to review their collections. The Selection Committee will meet with each finalist to go over the collection, conduct an in-depht interview, as well as visit their design studios. The winner will receive 400,000 dollars as a prize along with two runners-up who will be awarded 150,000 dollars each. Currently, there is no set date for when the winners will be announced.

The annual competition, which was established in 2003, is meant to set the tone by highlighting the next generation of emerging designers in America. The designers are awarded both monetary compensation as well as mentor opportunities in order to propel them into the fashion industry. Since the program has started, according to its website, the fund has granted over 5.2 million dollars to over 30 design companies. These companies include elite labels such as Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, The Elder Statements, Altuzarra, Tabitha Simmons, Rodarte, and more.

Photo: CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund