Genesis and the CFDA to renew AAPI Design + Innovation Grant for 2024-2025

Following the overwhelming success of the first-of-its-kind challenge, the second iteration of the mentorship program will continue to advance its inaugural mission to support innovation in design within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The program invites emerging fashion designers to compete for funding and support as they take on the challenge to create collections that celebrate the fusion of their Asian heritage and contemporary design.

The selected 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. Mentors and advisory board members include: 

• Alina Cho (Journalist)

• Eva Chen (Vice President of Fashion, Meta)

• Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim (Founders, Monse)

• Jodie Chan (VP of Global Marketing & Communications, Carolina Herrera)

• Rachel Espersen (Executive Director, Genesis Brand Experience, Genesis House & Studio)

• Sandra Park (Vice President Merchandise Manager - Menswear, Saks)

• Stephanie Horton (Senior Director Global Marketing, Google)

• Steven Kolb (CEO, CFDA)

• Tina Leung (Stylist and Influencer)

• Wen Zhou (Co-Founder, 3.1 Phillip Lim)

Each selected participant in the CFDA | Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant will receive a grant of $40,000 from Genesis

The winning designer will be presented with an additional $60,000 to further grow their business, resulting in a total grant award of $100,000.

Submissions for the second annual CFDA | Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant open today, June 12, inviting designers to apply for the opportunity to participate in this exciting program. Designers can apply here.