CFDA ADDS 14 NEW MEMBERS

by Stephen Garner
Virgil Abloh c/o Off-White
Virgil Abloh

The Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Board of Directors ratified the addition of 14 new designers to its membership during a board meeting at the CFDA offices on July 19.

The new CFDA members are: Virgil Abloh of Off-White; Stirling Barrett of Krewe; Andrea Fohrman of Andrea Fohrman; Fernando Garcia of Monse; Chloe Gosselin of Chloe Gosselin; Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss; Julia Jenztsch of Julia Jenztsch; Laura Kim of Monse; Chris Leba of R13; Becca Mccharen-Tran of Chromat; Monica Sordo of Monica Sordo; Temple St. Clair of Temple St. Clair; Wing Yin Yau of Wwake; and Bonnie Young of By. Bonnie Young.

The addition of 14 new designers brings the CFDA membership to 517.

“The organization is very proud to add the 2017 new members to our roster,” said Lisa Smilor, executive vice president of the CFDA. “Each of these 14 designers stood out to the Admissions Committee and Board of Directors as uniquely and extremely talented.”

The CFDA admissions process occurs once a year. Interested candidates must contact the CFDA in the spring to request admissions materials. To be eligible, designers must be American citizens designing in the United States or abroad, or foreign nationals with businesses headquartered in the United States. The application for membership includes a resume, a digital portfolio, and other materials that represent the candidate’s work to date, as well as letters of recommendation from active CFDA Members and industry associates who are familiar with the designer’s work. The Admissions Committee then recommends selected candidates for membership to the Board of Directors, which reviews submissions and ratifies the decisions.