CFDA, Versace Partner on LGBTQ-focused Educational Initiative
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LGBTQ PROGRAM: The Council of Fashion Designers of America and Versace have partnered on an educational initiative focused on an LGBTQ program, which will launch with a masterclass featuring Donatella Versace at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on March 6.
The Italian designer will be involved in a fireside chat with the center’s chief marketing and communications officer, Phillip Picardi.
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The CFDA will organize a delegation of students to meet with select Los Angeles-based CFDA members and designers to discuss careers in the fashion industry.
The CFDA and Versace are also partnering on a new scholarship for LGBTQ fashion design students, to launch later this year.
“I have always believed in the power of young creatives,” said Donatella Versace. “At Versace we have had some of the most amazing young talent join us and we have learned so much from them. I am thrilled that we can support a scholarship with the CFDA for an LGBTQ student and cannot wait to see their creative energy come to fruition with our encouragement.”
CFDA chief executive officer Steven Kolb underscored the shared commitment to education and long-standing support for the LGBTQ community with Versace.
The brand will unveil its fall 2023 women’s and men’s collections in Los Angeles on March 10. Working with the city’s Otis College of Art and Design, the CFDA has arranged for 10 students to attend the Versace show.
The CFDA Scholarship Fund, established in 1996, has awarded about $3.3 million and 352 scholarships between then and 2022. It is committed to supporting American fashion designers who are building a more inclusive and equitable future.
For Pride Month last June, Versace parent Capri Holdings established The Versace Foundation, which is aimed at fostering, promoting and supporting programs, projects and activities designed to generate awareness and support for the LGBTQ community.
The holding also pledged $10 million to sustain the new foundation’s activities, set to engage with philanthropic organizations and community groups to support the preservation of LGBTQ history and culture, in addition to promoting the advancement of equality, wellness and safety for the LGBTQ community.
The foundation marks a decisive, further step for the designer, who has long voiced her support for LGBTQ equality. For previous iterations of Pride Month, Versace has launched dedicated capsule collections with sales benefiting charities that are active in shaping a more inclusive, equal world. For instance, in 2020 the Versace x Pride collection benefited Pride Live in the U.S. and Arcigay in Europe.
A year before, the Pride Live organization also appointed the designer as Stonewall ambassador.
Donatella Versace and Cher teamed last June on “Chersace,” a limited-edition capsule collection, with all proceeds benefiting Gender Spectrum, a charity that works with LGBTQ children and youth.
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