MACY’S PRESIDENT HAL LAWTON, RYAN SEACREST AMONG YMA FASHION SCHOLARSHIP FUND HONOREES

by Stephen Garner
Hal Lawton, Ryan Seacrest, and Martha Stewart

The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting education and career placement for the fashion arts and business, has announced its 2019 honorees, Macy’s President Hal Lawton, Ryan Seacrest, and Martha Stewart. The 82nd Annual Scholarship Awards dinner will be held on January 10, 2019 at the New York Hilton Midtown. At the event, more than $1 million in scholarships will be awarded to talented students from leading universities and colleges nationwide.

“We are thrilled to honor these exceptional leaders in the entertainment, lifestyle, fashion and retail industries who inspire the next generation of rising talent,” said William Susman, president of YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund. “Their passion and entrepreneurial spirits truly represent our organization’s values, and we’re excited to have them support our mission of nurturing the fashion industry’s future leaders.”

This year’s event will celebrate more than 200 students. The fashion and retail industry’s most accomplished veterans will gather to honor these young men and women who will be recognized for their exceptional achievements and future contributions to the fashion industry. The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund has expanded its member colleges to 65 outstanding schools, enabling it to attract the best students in the fields of design, merchandising, business, technology and liberal arts, including: the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons-The New School of Design, New York University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Kent State University, Harvard University, University of Arizona, Rhode Island School of Design, Clarke Atlanta University, University of California Los Angeles, and Savannah College of Art and Design, to name a few.

Past honorees of the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund dinner have included Ralph Lauren, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jessica Simpson, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Siriano, Kenneth Cole, Iris Apfel, Dr. Joyce Brown, Tim Gunn, Chip Bergh, Jeff Gennette, Mindy Grossman, Kenneth Wyse, Katia Beauchamp and Stephen Sadove.

The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund has awarded over $11 million in scholarships to 1,200 students over the past five years. Additionally, the Fashion Scholarship Fund has placed more than a thousand scholars into positions with prominent companies throughout the industry.

All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Fashion Scholarship Fund, which is committed to fostering fashion talent of the future through scholarships, internships, mentorships and career programs. For more information and to purchase a table, please call the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund office at 212-278-0008 or visit www.ymafsf.org.