Making it in the fashion realm transcends beyond getting a good lump of cash to hold your brand down, and it definitely goes deeper than talent; it’s simply all about getting the right names to notice you.
A surefire way for exposure? The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award.
Going on its first decade of existence, the award has shaped the careers of previous winners such as Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Rodarte, and Joseph Altuzarra, and the next crop is ready to step up to the plate.
All 10 brands belonging to this year’s finalists will compete to be one of three to win valuable mentoring from industry professionals, as well as $300,000 for the winner, or $100,000 for the two runners-up. The icing on the cake is a collaboration with brand of the moment (because Michelle Obama says so) J.Crew.
According to Fashionista, this is how the next few weeks will pan out for the brands involved:
“They’ll each meet with the selection committee for interviews. Then, Committee members will make site visits to their design studios. Each finalist will also participate in a design challenge to create one-of-a-kind looks, underwritten by Uniqlo, to be unveiled in October. Then, there’s the annual celeb-attended fashion show featuring several looks by each finalist at Chateau Marmont in Los Angles. Finally, the winners will be announced in NYC on November 11 at a gala dinner.”
This is like Project Runway for the real world!
In celebration of the winners thus far, we’ve rounded up our top 3 from the 10 finalists that we’ve got our bucks on. Check them out below.
Marc Alary is a French born, New York based jewelry designer who launched his first fine jewelry collection in November 2009, but could be catching the break of all breaks with his involvement in the CDFA/Vogue fund.
In 2003, Alary moved to New York but didn’t fall into his own line immediately. Marc spent time designing for another Marc – Marc Jacobs – perfecting the brand’s logo and designing jewels before leaving in 2011 to pursue his own jewelry dreams.
Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, Public School
There are a number of elements that allow the brand Public School’s blend of New York grit with a side of European tailoring and Japanese streetwear, to be an effective one that appeals to the masses. And Max Osborne and Dao Yi Chow’s innovative efficiency is one of the leading factors. Founded in 2008, before menswear was having a fashion moment as colossal as the one we’re currently experiencing, Dao-Yi teamed up with Max Osborne to streamline their New York-inspired visions and dope personal style into one brand that encompassed shit they liked, shit they would wear, and naturally, shit everyone loved. Now it’s paid off in the form of a position as a CDFA/Vogue finalist.
Misha Nonoo, Nonoo
Born in Bahrain and raised in London by an Iraqi father and English mother, there is no place in the world that the designs of Misha Nonoo would better find a home than in the melting pot of NYC. Nonoo encompasses design skills learned by Misha while serving an apprenticeship under an atelier that specialized in construction and tailoring. She brought that very aesthetic to her self-named line that she debuted at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in 2011, and maybe she’ll take it all home this time around.
The other members who have been selected are:
Jason Jones and Mike Feldman, Parabellum
Juan Carlos Obando, Juan Carlos Obando
Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin, TOME
Shimon Ovadia and Ariel Ovadia, Ovadia & Sons
Tim Coppens, Tim Coppens
Todd Snyder, Todd Snyder
Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard, Veronica Beard
Who are you banking on?
