Melitta Baumeister was named the winner of the 19th Cfda/Vogue Fashion Fund, and Rachel Scott of Diotima and Henry Zankov of Zankov were named runners-up.

The winner takes home a monetary award of $300,000, while the two runners-up each receive a grant of $100,000. The winner, runners-up and finalists will also be presented with meaningful business mentorships and a pathway to success.

“Our Cfda/Vogue Fashion Fund class of 2023 are wonderfully talented. They all have something to say about what fashion can be, and where it needs to go. As we prepare to celebrate the fund’s 20th anniversary in 2024, this year’s finalists have been a wonderful reminder of why we set up the fund in the first place: To enable a new generation of designers to be seen and heard,” Anna Wintour, chief content officer, Condé Nast, and global editorial director, Vogue, said.

“The Cfda vogue fashion fund has always supported truly creative talent… it has been a way for the world to see new and unique stories… from my story in 2005 to the new stories we’re celebrating today… congratulations to melitta baumeister as well as henry zankov and rachel scott… and all finalists doing truly individual and creative work…,” Thom Browne, chairman of the Cfda/, said.

The Cfda/Vogue Fashion Fund program provides financial support and business mentorship for emerging designers. The monetary awards are designed to encourage and enable these emerging talents to pursue their design plans. Additionally, the winners will each meet regularly with an assigned business mentor based on their specific needs for business expertise and resources.

This year’s 10 finalists were Angelo Fabricio Urrutia, 4Sdesigns; Colin Locascio, Colin Locascio; Rachel Scott, Diotima; Kim Shui, Kim Shui; Kozaburo Akasaka, Kozaburo; Melitta Baumeister, Melitta Baumeister; Sami Miro, Sami Miro Vintage; Fletcher Kasell and Tanner Richie, Tanner Fletcher; Everard Best and Téla D’amore, Who Decides War, and Henry Zankov, Zankov.

Courtesy image of Cfda