CFDA names 2021 scholarship recipients

The CFDA revealed on Thursday the winners of the 2021 CFDA Scholar Awards.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, a record $500,000 was distributed to 19 top fashion students this year, including via two new prizes, the Coach Dream It Real x CFDA Design Scholarship and the Swarovski Foundation Re:Generation Innovation Scholar Award.

Moreover, the CFDA awarded students with scholarships in categories such as Design Scholar, Design for Justice, Covid Relief, Image Maker (Suntchi), Impactful Futures (Liz Claiborne), and Design Masters (Geoffrey Beene).

More than 320 applicants from 22 American fashion schools and graduate programs applied for this year’s scholarships.

Among the winners, the largest $50,000 Geoffrey Beene Design Masters Scholar award went to Padina Bondar-Gibbs of Parsons School of Design. Next, as part of the CFDA Covid-19 Relief Fund, $50,000 was awarded to Iyomi Ho Ken, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; $25,000 went to Stephanie Kim, Fashion Institute of Technology; $15,000 went to Carmen Lee, Fashion Institute of Technology; and $10,000 went to Mia Seo, Savannah College of Art and Design.

Likewise, multiple $25,000 scholarship were awarded to Nayon Kim, Parsons School of Design; Ryane (Nyanna) Johnson, University of Cincinnati; D’on Lauren Edwards, Savannah College of Art and Design; and Rebecca Flood, Parsons School of Design, among others.

“Over the past 25 years, our scholarships have helped many young designers realize their dream of a career in the American fashion industry,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb.

“We launch into the next 25 years with a strong Scholarship Program that addresses the specific areas required for American fashion to have a leading role in the global fashion landscape. CFDA would like to thank our partners for their support, and we look forward to seeing the 2021 Scholars thrive in the industry.”

CFDA names 2021 scholarship recipients

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