VFiles Announces 2023 Lab Fellows
VFiles is continuing its Lab Fellows program with its second cohort.
The VFiles Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports creators from underrepresented communities, announced its 2023 Lab Fellows on Thursday. The group consists of fashion designer Elena Velez, American Ballet Theatre dancer Gabe Stone Shayer, spiritual empowerment expert Aliza Kelly, SkidRow Studios founders David Sabastian and Sara Haile and Grammy-nominated producer Tweek Tune.
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Through the program, recipients will receive funding, mentorship and access to events and programming relevant to their markets and business goals.
On how she plans to use the VFiles Lab Fellow recognition to further her business, Velez stated: “My studio focuses on democratizing creative and entrepreneurial resources for makers outside of typically established creative capitals and provides a pipeline to the industry for small brands through sales opportunity and network access.”
Sabastian and Haile had a similar response to receiving the recognition, stating: “Our mantra is simple: we’re not here to produce just another song or T-shirt. Everything we create has to have an impact. We believe that together, we can create a world where no one is left behind.”
In addition to the cohort of Lab Fellows, VFiles is also launching its VFiles Lab Discovery Class this year, which includes a group of 12 artists chosen from the VFiles Lab application program. The artists will receive mentorship and educational resources.
The group includes director Kelly Butts-Spirito; artists Analise Azadian, Dustrial Dre, Sweetz and Myles Brando; fashion designers Celine Kwan, Seokwoon Yoon, Ari Serrano, Leaf Xia, Israel Cobb-Mcintyre, Justin Joyner and Andrea Espinoza.
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