Make Way Fashion World, Pyer Moss is Coming

Pictured from left to right: Emily Blunt (presenter of award), runner-up Jonathan Cohen, winner Kerby Jean-Raymond, U.S. Vogue EIC Anna Wintour, runner-up Emily Adams Bode, and CFDA chief executive Steven Kolb. Image via.

Kerby Jean-Raymond, the mastermind behind the luxury sportswear brand Pyer Moss, was recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) as the winner of the coveted $400,000 CFDA-Vogue Fashion Fund this year.

Jean-Raymond, the son of a Haitian immigrant, has not shied away from injecting political messages into his brand. Founded in 2013, Pyer Moss attracted public attention with its release of a T-shirt that listed the names of people of color who had been victims of police brutality. In recent years, Jean-Raymond has opened conversations about gun violence and racism in his runway shows. For example, in his Spring/Summer 2016 show, he presented the audience with a documentary on racially motivated police brutality in America. Not only is Jean-Raymond unafraid to have a voice in this contentious political climate, but his pride in his culture and race is also reflected in all of his collections, which celebrate Black culture.

Titled the “911” Tee, this T-shirt is just one example of the many ways in which Pyer Moss speaks about policy brutality against people of color, namely African Americans. Image via.

The CFDA-Vogue Fashion Fund was launched in 2003 in response to financial struggles and controversies surrounding the fashion world. Seeking to combat the homogeneity in the type of models featured on the cover of magazines and parading down runways, the Fashion Fund emerged with the purpose of highlighting new fashion designers. In addition to the cash prize, the Fashion Fund also sought to provide new generations of designers with a network that would foster success in a competitive industry. Specifically, the Fashion Fund has awarded and recognized designers who are advocates of inclusivity of all body shapes and skin colors. Past winners have included Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, as well as a multitude of other notable designers.

“At a time when our world faces so many challenges, I’m impressed by this year’s winners.”

- Anna Wintour

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In addition to the Fashion Fund, Pyer Moss was awarded the 2014 Fashion Group International Rising Star Award in the category of menswear and Jean-Raymond was also featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2015. While the Fashion Fund has been critiqued in the past for casting light on brands prematurely and having those brands become unsuccessful in the long run, we can rest assured that Jean-Raymond’s Pyer Moss is here for the long-haul.

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Telfar Wins CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund

This year, CVFF awarded Telfar Clemens of the brand Telfar with the competition's highly coveted first place prize. In an interview with Vogue, Clemens describes his brands' identity as “horizontal, democratic, universal"–all of which are underscored in his androgynous and versatile designs and his decidedly diverse casting choices for runway shows and campaigns. On Telfar's About page, the brand is pitched as a "unisex line Est in 2005 in NYC by Telfar Clemens and sold internationally. It's not for you — it's for everyone."

This year's Fashion Fund finalists featured a slew of talented designers, from more familiar fixtures in the industry and repeat contestants like Chromat, to fashion houses just beginning to hit their full stride, like Mateo and Jordan Askill.

Creativity, ingenuity and fluidity aside, Telfar undoubtedly distinguished itself amongst its steep competition with the sheer amount of personality imbued into all aspects of the brand. A quick scroll through Telfar's website alone reveals Clemens' expansive artistic vision and sense of humor through a series of gifs, supercuts of backstage and each season's beautifully staged and shot collection.

Apart from the $400,000 first place cash prize and business mentoring from industry professionals, winning the Fashion Fund is often a pivotal moment in a designer's career trajectory. Past winners include current industry heavyweights like Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Altuzarra (who served as one of the judges for this year's panel), Public School, Derek Lam, Thom Browne, Rodarte and Tabitha Simmons.

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