Latest news with #AuroraJames
Vogue
3 days ago
- Business
- Vogue
Meet the 10 Finalists of the 2025 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
The finalists for the 2025 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Fresh off celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Fashion Fund, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue announced early this morning the group of finalists taking part in this year's competition. They are: Ashlyn's Ashlynn Park; Aubero's Julian Louie; Bach Mai; Bernard James; Don't Let Disco by Ashley Moubayed; Gabe Gordon and Timothy Gibbons from Gabe Gordon; Heirlome's Stephanie Suberville; Jamie Okuma; Meruert Tolegen; and Peter Do. The new class features a diverse group of designers across markets—womenswear, menswear, jewelry, and accessories—and also at different points in their careers, a reflection of the precarious state of independent labels in the industry. 'Now entering its third decade, we see just how much the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has transformed American fashion into a diverse and inclusive industry, and this year's designers underscore the point,' said CFDA CEO Steven Kolb. 'We look forward to seeing how the finalists will make their mark on American fashion.' Along with Kolb, this year's selection committee included Vogue's Anna Wintour, Mark Holgate, and Nicole Phelps; Instagram's head of fashion partnerships, Eva Chen; founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge and Brother Vellies Aurora James; the model Paloma Elsesser; Nordstrom vice president, fashion director Rickie De Sole; Roopal Patel, SVP of fashion at Saks; CFDA chairman Thom Browne; and Zac Posen, executive vice president and creative director at Gap Inc and chief creative officer at Old Navy. This year's winner will receive $300,000, and the two runners-up will each take home $100,000, along with business mentorships.
Eyewitness News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eyewitness News
Magugu's Met Gala debut emphasises African style and storytelling
JOHANNESBURG - Award-winning creative director and designer Thebe Magugu, who is well-known for using fashion as a narrative and educational tool, made his Met Gala debut. Canadian creative director, activist, and fashion designer Aurora James wore Thebe Magugu's debut couture appearance at the MET Gala, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." This year's lavish Manhattan benefit highlights Black dandyism's subversive aesthetic. The topic of the blockbuster night delves into the intricate history of the precisely cut dandy look. It also commemorates the debut of a related display at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Magugu said: "I was inspired by the female muses of the Central & West African sartorial photographers in the 50's and 60's. Photographers like Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé, and Mama Casset, themselves style icons of the superfine, photographed women in a powerful blend of vintage elegance, cultural pride, and subtle sensuality. The self-assured gazes of these women ensured that they sit before the lens not as subjects, but as co-authors of their image and likeness. Silhouette has always been so key in these images, with the women taking on an almost totemic and sculptural shape."
