Two days out from New York Fashion Week, Genesis and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) kicked off the festivities early with its second annual CFDA/Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant on Tuesday night.
The event, hosted at New York City’s Genesis House, recognized designers Olivia Cheng of Dauphinette, Bach Mai, and Kozaburo Akasaka of Kozaburo. They were tasked with spending five months crafting a three-look fashion collection celebrating their Asian heritage in a modern and innovative way.
To help with this, the trio each received a $40,00 grant and valuable mentorship from the likes of journalist Alina Cho, Meta’s Vice President of Fashion Eva Chen, 3.1 Phillip Lim Co-Founder Wen Zhou, influencer Tina Leung and Monse Co-Founders Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim. They also enjoyed an immersive expedition to Seoul for inspiration. (Their final designs were on display for attendees to enjoy throughout the evening).
Photo: Zach Hilty/BFA
At the end of the night, Dauphinette’s Cheng — best known for her unique use of unconventional materials and repurposed textiles — took home the top prize and received an additional $60,000 to bolster her brand.
“I don’t know what to say. I’ve never won anything before — not since, like, fourth grade,” Cheng laughed during her acceptance speech. “I’m so excited. I’m good with money and I’ll spend it wisely. I love retail and [can’t wait] to work on that.”
She added in a statement, “I’m deeply humbled, honored and excited to be selected as this year’s Genesis House AAPI Innovation Grant recipient. Participating in this program has not only been instrumental in my journey as a designer and business owner, but it has [also] connected me to a room full of people who I know will be lifelong friends and mentors.”
While the program launched in 2023, its existence comes at a crucial time for minority designers: President Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion have caused many retailers and other industries to quickly revoke their DEI initiatives. CFDA CEO Steven Kolb emphasized that the organization will continue to champion an inclusive industry.
“The CFDA remains very steady in [celebrating DEI] and we appreciate Genesis in being committed to a more diverse and inclusive industry,” Kolb told the audience. “The idea behind this program is to provide tools and resources and funding to designers in the AAPI community to help them further their brand.”
The collections will be displayed at Genesis House from Wednesday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb. 16.
Source: Fashionista.com