CFDA and Fashion Trust USA distribute $40k awards to support POC talent

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jun 8, 2021

The Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) of America and Fashion Trust USA have announced that they have chosen five promising Black and Brown designers to receive awards of $40,000 each to support the development of their businesses.
 

The selected designers include mechanical engineer-turned-knitwear specialist Aisling Camps, New York’s Charles Harbison, Los Angeles-based womenswear designer Sergio Hudson, sustainability-focused Sami Miro, and Omar Salam, founder and creative director of the Sukeina brand.
 
“The Council of Fashion Designers of America is pleased to work with Fashion Trust US to recognize the noteworthy talent of these designers, and provide financial awards to support their vision and short-term goals,” said the CFDA’s executive vice president, Lisa Smilor, in a release.

The CFDA Fashion Trust was launched by the CFDA in partnership with fashion writer and philanthropist Tania Fares in 2018. The Fashion Trust is no longer administered by the CFDA, but the U.S. fashion authority said that it was “pleased to distribute the remaining funds of the program to these five talents.”
 

The recipients of the $40,000 awards were chosen by a committee of industry experts, including CFDA Black Advisory Board members Tracy Reese, Samira Nasr, Bozoma Saint John, Stacie B. Henderson, and Martin Cooper. The committee also featured Fashion Trust USA co-founders Tania Fares, Laura Brown, Elisa Sednaoui Dellal, Anne Crawford, and Karla Welch.
 
The CFDA’s decision to distribute the funds to Black and Brown creatives is in line with the goals of its CFDA IMPACT initiative, which seeks to support, nurture and create networks for Black and Brown creatives and professionals operating in the fashion industry.