THE FASHION SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS HELD ITS 88TH ANNUAL GALA IN NYC

The Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) celebrated its Class of 2025 FSF Scholars and Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholars — 160 exceptional college students who have demonstrated their ability to disrupt and transform the fashion industry as creatives or as marketing and business professionals — on April 7th during FSF LIVE, the organization’s 88th annual gala at New York City’s Glasshouse.

Hosted by designer Christian Siriano and his longtime friend and muse — the iconic supermodel, entrepreneur, and advocate — Coco Rocha, the evening honored four industry leaders for their commitment to supporting the next generation of fashion talent: Jerry Lorenzo, Founder and Creative Director, Fear of God; Sara and Erin Foster, Co-Founders, Favorite Daughter; and Tony Spring, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Macy’s, Inc.

Lorenzo was introduced by Samira Nasr, Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar; the Foster sisters were introduced Danielle Frankel Hirsch, Founder & Creative Director of Danielle Frankel and Spring was introduced by Iman El Khatib, Macy’s, Inc., Vice President and DMM, Kids Apparel and 2008 FSF Scholar.

Guests included: Anna Wintour, Shannon Abloh, Jordyn Woods, Designers Wes Gordon, KidSuper’s Colm Dillane, Daniella Kallmeyer of Kallmeyer, Jonathan Cohen, Jackson Wiederhoeft, Bibhu Mohapatra, Maxwell Osbourne and Dao-Yi Chow, Kim Shui, Area’s Beckett Fogg, Michelle Ochs, Stylists Law Roach, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Micaela Erlanger, Jordan Foster, Neiman Marcus’s Bruce Pask, Saks Global’s Emily Essner, Paolo Riva, and Kristin Maa.

The FSF awarded over $1.9 million in scholarships to 160 FSF Scholars, including the newest class of Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund Scholars, who attend a network of 75 colleges and universities across the country—all of whom were in attendance and had their work showcased at the event.

Last month, the four highest-scoring Scholar Finalists competed for the FSF’s $25,000 Chairman’s Award by presenting their in-depth case studies centered on the intersection between fashion and technology to a panel of judges representing all sectors of the industry. This year’s judges were: Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Fashion Editor, Stylist, and Consultant;  Jerry Lorenzo, Founder and Creative Director of Fear of God and FSF Honoree; Emily Erusha-Hilleque, SVP Private Brand Strategy, Macy’s Inc.; Kristin Maa, Chief Marketing Officer of Saks Global; and Amanda Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Fairchild Media and FSF Board Member.

At FSF LIVE, each scholar Finalist presented their case study topic, personal statement about their background, inspiration, and intention for their future career in the industry.The Winner of the $25,000 Chairman’s Award is Fatmata Camara.

The Chairman’s Award was presented to Camara this evening by John Tighe, FSF Board President, and five-time NBA All-Star and the New York Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns, a partner to the FSF, established an annual named Scholarship program that kicks off this year with two recipients from the 2025 FSF Class of Scholars who have demonstrated an interest in the intersection of fashion and sports. These two students were among the Scholars in attendance at the Gala that evening.

Pre-Gala programming for the Scholars began on Sunday, April 6th when Colm “KidSuper” Dillane hosted an evening at his Williamsburg Studio. The Scholars enjoyed dinner, music by DJ Rae Sada and remarks by Dillane.

Earlier today, the 160 Scholars kicked off their day with breakfast and a panel discussion at Stella 34 Trattoria in Macy’s, welcomed by Peter Arnold, FSF Executive Director. He was joined by Tony Spring, Chairman and CEO of Macy’s, Inc., and Nata Dvir, Chief Merchandising Officer at Macy’s, Inc. and FSF Board Member.

The Scholars then headed to WWD’s midtown headquarters for lunch and a dynamic series of conversations. They first heard from James Fallon, Editorial Director of Fairchild Media Group, followed by an engaging discussion and Q&A with Deirdre Quinn, Co-founder and CEO of Lafayette 148. Next, they got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Fashion Week with Alex Badia, WWD Style Director before concluding the day with a panel featuring Jackson Wiederhoeft and Henry Zankov, moderated by Badia.

The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholars wrapped their visit to New York City on Tuesday, April 8 with tours hosted by LVMH across three Maisons. 

Colm Dillane, the KidSuper designer, artist and musician, created an exclusive capsule collection of KidSuper x FSF merchandise to raise funds for the FSF. The collection was sold on-site at the Gala and will drop online the following day, with 100% of sales benefiting the FSF.

Ghetto Gastro, the Bronx-born culinary collective from Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker, is the FSF’s culinary partner for the Gala. Ghetto Gastro will provide savory and sweet bites, including Sweet Potato Waffles, Fried Chicken and Spicy Maple Syrup and Sorrel Sable (Coconut, Hibiscus, Gold Leaf) for guests at a dedicated table in the space. As a group they have notably defined their own lane, merging food, fashion, music, art, and design.

Music was provided by DJ Venus X.