Aisling Camps wins CFDA Fashion Trust Award
Trinidadian knitwear designer, Aisling Camps, has been awarded by the Council of Fashion Designers America and Fashion Trust USA – one of five designers “of color with exceptional talent and promise.”
Along with Charles Harbison, founder and creative director of Harbison, a luxury lifestyle studio; Sergio Hudson, designer of his eponymous luxury women’s wear label; Sami Miro, founder, designer and creative director of Sami Miro Vintage, and Omar Salam, founder and creative director of global fashion house Sukeina, Camps has been awarded $40,000 to support her business needs.
According to WWD, “the award seeks to support creatives of color in alignment with the CFDA Impact initiative, which identifies, connects, supports and nurtures Black and Brown creatives and professionals in the fashion industry.” Each awardee was selected by a committee of industry experts, including the CFDA Black Advisory Board members — Tracy Reese, Samira Nasr, Bozoma Saint John, Stacie B. Henderson and Martin Cooper — and Fashion Trust USA cofounders Tania Fares, Laura Brown, Elisa Sednaoui Dellal, Anne Crawford and Karla Welch.
The CFDA Fashion Trust was founded as a charitable initiative that provided business support to U.S.-based designers through financial grants and strategic mentoring. The idea of a Fashion Trust originated in the U.K., where Fares founded the program in partnership with the British Fashion Council, and helped such designers as JW Anderson, Erdem and Emilia Wickstead.
The CFDA decided to end its partnership with Fashion Trust amid COVID-19 and recent social justice movements, as it decided to pivot its focus to helping designers navigate this time, working on diversity, equity and inclusion programming and focusing their support on internal programs rather than an outside organization. The CFDA remains supportive of Fashion Trust and were part of the decision to support the selected designers.
Source: WWD