Genesis House and the CFDA will open submissions today, Wednesday, for the CFDA/Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant for the second year.
Following the success of the inaugural grant program in 2023, Genesis House and the CFDA will offer three emerging Asian American and Pacific Islander designers the opportunity to compete for funding and support as they create a collection that fuses their Asian heritage and contemporary design.
The designers will receive invaluable education and mentorship from industry leaders, along with financial backing from Genesis to transform their creative visions into reality. Aspiring designers who apply will be selected by a committee of advisors and mentors who will provide their expertise and counsel to the selected participants as they curate their collections.
The participants’ final collections will be showcased prominently at Genesis House in February 2025, where an advisory board of industry experts and CFDA members will judge the resulting designs.
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“We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with the CFDA on this incredible initiative where we have the opportunity to highlight the innovative spirit of the AAPI community in fashion design,” said Rachel Espersen, executive director of Genesis Brand Experience at Genesis House & Studio, Genesis Motor America. “As we continue to champion design, heritage, and technology at Genesis House, we’re eager to help facilitate the remarkable creativity that is sure to emerge from this year’s applicants.”
“The CFDA/Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant is unique in its support for emerging AAPI talent. It is culturally important to include underrepresented voices in creativity, and we are excited to extend the program into year two and discover a new group of designers,” said Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of the CFDA.
In addition to Espersen and Kolb, mentors and advisory board members include Alina Cho, Emmy Award-winning journalist; Eva Chen, vice president of fashion, Meta; Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, founders, Monse and creative directors of Oscar de la Renta; Jodie Chan, vice president of global marketing and communications at Carolina Herrera; Sandra Park, vice president, merchandise manager of menswear at Saks; Stephanie Horton, senior director, global marketing, Google; Tina Leung, stylist and influencer, and Wen Zhou, cofounder, 3.1 Phillip Lim.
The three participants in the CFDA/Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant will receive a grant of $40,000 from Genesis to fund their research and design development over the course of the challenge. This grant will enable them to embark on an immersive journey to Seoul, South Korea to help inspire their collections. The winning designer will receive an additional $60,000 to further expand their business, resulting in a total grant award of $100,000.
Last February, Grace Ling, a Singaporean-born designer, was the winner of the very first CFDA/Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant. Ling showcased her final collection at Genesis House, highlighting three bespoke looks that combined aspects of her Asian heritage with modern touches, incorporating references to figures from Asian folktales and using a unique 3D printing process to create one of the looks from the collection.
