The young entrepreneurs will present their ideas to a panel of industry executives Tuesday night.
By: JEAN E. PALMIERE JUNE 26, 2023, 3:22PM
Four Fashion Scholarship Fund alumni will face off Tuesday night in their quest to win a $50,000 grant and a year of mentorship from the organization.
The contest is part of the group’s Summer Scholar Series within its Accelerator Grant Program created to help nascent brands scale their businesses.
The finalists are Esther Andrews, Gokce Guven, Sieun Lee and Chantal Mtakati. They will present their ideas to a panel of judges from the fashion industry including Narda Chan, vice president of design for apparel at Macy’s; designer Victor Glemaud; Roberto Lorenzini, chief executive officer of Tod’s Group, Americas; Jenna Lyons, cofounder and CEO of Loveseen, and Eleanor Turner, founder and CEO of The Big Favorite, and winner of the 2019 Accelerator Grant.
Andrews launched her eponymously named collection in 2021, a knitwear collection for brides including shawls, shrugs, sweaters and capes that retail from $400 to $1,100 with bespoke separates and gowns selling for $1,820 to $5,500. The collection is intended to be worn over wedding gowns as well as anytime after the big day.
Guven has created Kalder, a Web3-based tool intended to manage loyalty programs for brands and help them build customer loyalty while generating revenue through membership fees, subscriptions and token-based transactions.
Lee has created a sustainable, affordable unisex streetwear collection called CTBT Studio that consists of hoodies, crewnecks, T-shirts, beanies and socks as well as jeans and caps made from organic cotton or deadstock fabric and priced from $30 to $150. The collection is manufactured in New York, and the brand has opened a series of pop-ups around the city.
And Mtakati has created H-Studio, a business-to-business wholesale apparel marketplace platform to promote South African brands.
The winner is expected to be announced Tuesday night at the conclusion of the presentations.
The FSF works with 70 colleges and universities across the U.S. to recruit students for its national competition. It awards more than $1 million each year in scholarships to help these students pursue careers in all sectors of the fashion industry including design, merchandising, marketing analytics and business strategy..