The CFDA has announced the ten finalists for the 2021 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award. For the first time in the history of this award, all the finalists will receive funding. The finalists are the first to participate in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s new initiative that includes emerging fashion designers competing against former finalists, as well as fashion designers that have received funding from the CFDA’s “A Common Thread” initiative.
The 2021 finalists include Batsheva Hay of vintage-inspired, New York-based ready-to-wear label Batsheva; Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta of 2018 LVMH Prize nominee Eckhaus Latta; Anifa Mvuemba of bold womenswear brand Hanifa; mother and daughter duo Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka of House of Aama, and contemporary menswear designer Kenneth Nicholson. The list additionally includes Jameel Mohammed of Afrofuturist luxury label Khiry; Queens-born womenswear designer LaQuan Smith; Abrima Erwiah of African fashion-focused social enterprise Studio One Eighty Nine; Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-based designer Edvin Thompson of Theophilio, and Californian conceptual menswear designer Willy Chavarria.
“After an incredibly challenging time for all of us in fashion, especially here in New York, we’re thrilled that this year we are able to support all of our finalists,” said Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast, in a press release. “It’s not only a vote of confidence in their talents, but in a brighter future for American fashion.”
“This year’s talented group of Fashion Fund finalists is facing an industry in the process of reinvention and transformation,” added CFDA chairman Tom Ford. “The program’s new format aims to help the designers better navigate and thrive in fashion’s future.”
Also, a man’s best friend
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend; however, why can’t diamonds be a great companion for men also. Well, if Tiffany’s & Co. has a say, diamonds will now be a very important piece of jewelry for men.
Tiffany’s has been a favorite place for women to acquire engagement and wedding rings since 1886. That said, the brand is now expanding to men’s engagement rings by launching the Charles Tiffany Setting, named for the brand’s founder.
Twenty six percent of Tiffany’s revenue comes from the sell of engagement rings. With the expansion into men’s diamond engagement ring, Tiffany’s is reflecting changing attitudes toward same-sex marriage and gender fluidity.
As reported in the Wall Street Times, Tiffany’s debut men’s engagement collection features a solitaire diamond measuring up to 4.3 carats. Styles combine either a round brilliant-cut stone with a knife-edge band, or an emerald-cut stone with a bevel-edged band.
“The brand’s potential is enormous and integrating it is very important for us. It really is our number one priority,” explained LVMH CFO Jean-Jacques Guiony as reported in fashionnetwork.com. “It’s a challenge and we think we will have to dedicate all of our resources to it.”
Margot keeps time with Chanel
Margot Robbie has a new job. The Academy Award-winning actress is the new face of Chanel’s J12 Watch campaign. The J12 timepiece turns 20 this year.
Robbie joins eight other famous women which includes Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Ali McGraw, Vanessa Paradis, Lily-Rose Depp, and Keira Knightley for this new campaign with each women detailing personal, life-changing experiences. “Everything has always been about seconds for a House created by a woman who knew how to follow her instincts,” Chanel explained in a news statement. “The J12 is the watch for these milestones, and the perfect accompaniment for every second.”
“It feels incredibly special to be alongside such inspiring women in this campaign. Embodying the J12 watch to me is acknowledging and appreciating time,” Robbie said, as reported in a fashionnetwork.com article.
—William S. Gooch
Image credits
- cfda-2021-vogue-fashion-fund-teenvogue.jpg — Editorial image.
- tiffanys-men-engagement-rings-cnn.jpg — Credit/source: cnn.com.
- margot-robbie-j12-watch-watchpro.jpeg — Credit/source: WatchPro.com.
- weekend-fashion-news-alert-may1-2021.jpg — Editorial image.
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