Vaquera, of Tiffany Bag Dress Fame, Is Among This Year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists

While last week was all about the television set thanks to the Emmy nominations, this week has a brand new group of nominees to get excited about: the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists.

Today, the ten finalists for the annual design prize which helps emerging American designers find success in the early stages of their brands. This year’s nominated designers are Ahlem Manai-Platt of Ahlem, Becca McCharen-Tran of Chromat, Christopher Bevans of DYNE, Victor Glemaud, Jordan Askill, Matthew Harris of Mateo New York, Eli Azran of RTA, Sandy Liang, Telfar Clemans of Telfar LLC, and Patric DiCaprio, Bryn Taubensee, David Moses, and Claire Sully of Vaquera.

It’s a diverse group of nominees that touches upon just about every sector of the industry. For example, Chromat is futuristic and architectural line of swim and athletic wear that recently collaborated with beauty powerhouse M.A.C. and was a finalist in last year’s competition, while Glemaud is the former artistic director of Paco Rabanne and style director of Tommy Hilfiger who launched his own menswear line in 2006 and recently debuted a new knitwear collection that has already been worn by the likes of Selena Gomez and Rachel Weisz.

In a category perhaps all their own is Vaquera, an indie label run by four twenty-somethings known for their “anti-fashion” aesthetic, who had their runway debut last season with a show that included a dress shaped like an oversized Tiffany & Co jewelry bag that quickly became one of the most Instagrammed pieces of the Fall 2017 season. Last month, the brand also teamed up with Hulu for a capsule collection inspired by the television show The Handmaid’s Tale.

In addition to the finalists, it as also announced today that a handful of new judges would join the panel who will ultimately decide on the winner, including Joseph Altuzarra and Roopal Patel, Senior Vice President and Fashion Director at Saks Fifth Avenue. They join the existing selection committee, which includes Diane von Furstenberg, Andrew Rosen, and Steven Kolb.

The winner of the fund will be announced on November 8th at a gala dinner in New York City, and will receive a monetary prize of $400,000 ; two-runners up will take home $150,000 each. Past winners of the prize include Brock Collection, Public School, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler.

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