CFDA Reveals 2022 CFDA Scholar Award Recipients
The Council of Fashion Designers of America has revealed the 26 recipients of the 2022 CFDA Scholar Awards.
The CFDA received 372 submissions via a new open-access application approach to encourage increased community inclusion and expanded reach. The criteria for selection included financial need, talent and professional potential.
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“The CFDA continues to invest in the future of the American fashion industry and its ecosystem,” said CFDA chief executive officer Steven Kolb. “Our 2022 goal was to meet or exceed the 81 percent of last year’s scholarships awarded to diverse and underrepresented student design talent, and we’re proud to have reached this goal.”
For 2022, four additional CFDA scholarships were made possible through the establishment of designated funds through CFDA donations made by digital creator Avani Gregg and by Häagen-Dazs. In addition, Coach Foundation is awarding an unprecedented 15 scholarships this year.
“The circular design scholarship we are introducing today with the CFDA is part of our vision to create a better, brighter future for our industry,” said Coach creative director Stuart Vevers. “It’s a celebration, too, of the talent and creativity of our scholars and their passion for co-creating this brighter future with us.”
Receiving the 2022 CFDA Design Scholar Award of $25,000 each are Maliki Gilbert, Savannah College of Art and Design; Drake Dabbs, The University of Texas at Austin (undergraduate), and Jasmin Risk, Parsons School of Design (graduate).
The Scholarship by Avani Gregg of $25,000 will be awarded to Tara Sears, Marist College.
Scholarships by Häagen-Dazs of $25,000 each will be awarded to Alissa Divak, Marist College; Arjahn Cox, Parsons; Bradford Billingsley, Parsons, and Heejin Hwang, Fashion Institute of Technology.
The Coach Dream It Real x CFDA Circular Design Scholarship Award will bestow $200,000 in total to Andrea Cordova, FIT; Angel Pan, Parsons; Anna (Grace) Gordon, Parsons; Blake DeWitt, FIT; Dylan Unzicker-Krone, FIT; Elizabeth Dewald, Parsons; Farah Shahrour, Kent State University; Helen Sotropa, Parsons; Keanu Williams, FIT; Lydia Ross, Academy of Art University; Marina Matozzo, Marist College; Ping Edmunds, FIT; Samuel Pickett, Parsons; Vivian Luo, Parsons, and Yue Zi, Rhode Island School of Design.
In addition, the Re: Generation Innovation Scholar Award CFDA + Swarovski Foundation will give $30,000 to Isabella Kostrzewa, Parsons. The Liz Claiborne Design for Impactful Futures Scholar Award of $25,000 will go to Melany Corchado, Parsons, and the Geoffrey Beene Design Masters Scholar Award of $50,000 will be given to Haixi Ren, Parsons.
This year’s various selection committees included Abrima Erwiah of Studio One Eighty Nine; Edvin Thompson of Theophilio; Dominique Drakeford of Sustainable Brooklyn; Peter Hu of 3.1 Phillip Lim; fashion environmentalist Runa Ray; digital creator Avani Gregg; Emily Chou of Nestle; Kelly Patterson of The Door; Tom and Mara Hutton of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation; Marisa Schiestl-Swarovski and Maika Nakaoka of the Swarovski Foundation, and Sara Kozlowski of the CFDA.
The CFDA began its commitment to education in 1996 with the establishment of the CFDA Scholarship Program founded by CFDA member Monika Tilley. Talented scholarship recipients have progressed to prominent industry roles such as Jacque Agbobly of Black Boy Knits (2019), Peter Som (1996), the inaugural CFDA Scholarship award recipient, Chris Benz (2003) and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler (2001).
Between 1996 and 2021, the CFDA has awarded approximately $2.7 million and 321 scholarships. All CFDA scholarships are earmarked for tuition and thesis collection/portfolio expenses.
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