written by Freya Drohan | April 4, 2023
Guests gathered at Glasshouse last night for the 86th annual Fashion Scholarship Fund awards celebration and gala, FSF LIVE. On the evening, which was hosted by supermodel and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss, FSF celebrated 127 members of its 2023 Class of Scholars, including the 27 recipients of the Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholarship Fund.
The event also honored Anna Wintour, chief content officer, Condé Nast/global editorial director, Vogue and Emma Grede, co-founder & CEO of Good American, founding partner of SKIMS, and chairwoman of The Fifteen Percent Pledge. Longtime editor Wintour was recognized for her commitment to supporting and fostering next-gen fashion talent, while Grede was celebrated for her advocacy of diversity and inclusive representation, as well as for her work with The Fifteen Percent Pledge.
British businesswoman and mom-of-four Grede said: “To be successful in this industry, I think you need two things—unwavering self-belief and an unmatched work ethic. I’ve believed in me for forever. I wake up every day beyond grateful and ready to grind. I know who I am and I know where I’m going and I know exactly what I’m here to do. I always have. I’ve had a job since I was 14 years old, and I just now feel like I’m just now finding success at 40. The message is that you have to keep believing in yourself, or else no one will. Nothing happens overnight in this industry, so embrace every moment as you discover what is important to you. You have to find the purpose of your work before you find success.”
Wintour echoed these sentiments, adding that the “future of fashion will be in good hands” with the Fashion Scholarship Fund students. “I was delighted to see the scholars in the Vogue offices earlier today. It filled me with gratitude for all this program makes possible,” she said. “I am honored to know Virgil’s wife Shannon, whom he met in high school, and their beautiful children—his wonderful family brings him back to us. As do his many acts of generosity, like his “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund at FSF, which so far has funded the educations of nearly seventy future leaders. I want to celebrate Virgil as I accept this award in his memory. May we all try to do just a little of what he did to keep our future in good hands.
The FSF awarded over $1 million in scholarships to college students from its new class of Scholars who attend a network of 70 colleges and universities across the country. The four highest scoring Scholar finalists—Clay Lute of LIM, Olivia Baba of Washington University, Sofia Enriquez of University of Florida, and Julian Tong of University of Minnesota—competed for the FSF’s $25,000 Chairman’s Award by presenting thoroughly researched case studies which aim to provide solutions to fashion’s most pervasive issues. Ultimately, Lute was given the accolade, which was presented to him last night by Kloss, designer Sergio Hudson, and FSF Board President Jennifer Vecchio.
Among the crowd last night were Coco Rocha, Martha Stewart, Tommy and Dee Hilfiger, Heron Preston, Todd Snyder, Sergio Hudson, Emily Bode, Phillip Lim, Michelle Ochs, Beckett Fogg, Samantha Barry, Eric Emanuel, Daniella Kallmeyer, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Steven Kolb, Nicole Miller, Linda Fargo, and Rickie de Sole.