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Grace Ling, Andrew Kwon and Siying Qu and Haoran Li, co-founders of Private Policy, are the recipients of the Council of Fashion Designers America’s inaugural AAPI design and innovation grant in partnership with restaurant and event space Genesis House.
The initiative, which launched in July, is a mentorship programme for emerging fashion designers of Asian, Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI) ancestry. The designers will receive mentorship from designer Prabal Gurung, who is a vice chair of the CFDA, marketing consultant Grace Cha and Google global consumer marketing director Stephanie Horton.
The Council of Fashion Designers America will host a five-month challenge for three Asian, Asian American or Pacific Islander designers, who will receive funding and mentorship to create a collection. Prabal Gurung shares how this aligns with his goals as co-vice chair.
Over the course of the five-month programme, they will set out to create collections that “encapsulate the tension between Asian heritage and modernity”, according to the CFDA’s release. Each designer will receive a $40,000 grant from Genesis to fund their collection, and the winner will also be awarded an additional $60,000. The winning collection will be displayed at Genesis House, in New York’s Meatpacking District, in February 2024.
“Grace Ling, Andrew Kwon, and Private Policy are a strong representation of AAPI talent, who, in different ways, represent their heritage in meaningful ways and a desire to innovate and improve creativity in American fashion,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb said in the release.
Ling is set to debut at New York Fashion Week on 8 September, and was recently inducted into the CFDA as an interim member alongside 15 peers, including bridalwear and eveningwear designer Kwon. Private Policy is also set to close out the opening day of NYFW in the 9pm slot.
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