CFDA and Frazier Foundation Open Third Edition of $100,000 Empowered Vision Award for Independent Black Designers
A $100,000 grant for an independent Black designer is back for a third round. The Andréa W. and Kenneth C. Frazier Family Foundation and the Council of Fashion Designers of America — the US trade body known as the CFDA — have launched the third edition of the Empowered Vision Award, with applications opening on 1 September 2026 and the winner to be named at a ceremony in New York on 10 December. WWD
The award, launched in 2024, goes beyond a single cheque. The recipient receives a year-long programme of support that includes a tailored internship, strategic business development and national visibility — a package designed to champion designers at every stage of their creative journey, according to the CFDA. CFDA
Rachel Scott, the designer behind the label Diotima, was the inaugural winner in 2024, with stylist Law Roach announcing her selection. Daveed Baptiste took the second edition, recognised as the 2025–2026 recipient, after emerging from a finalist shortlist of four. CFDA CFDA
The 2026 selection committee reads as a cross-section of the industry's decision-makers. It includes designers Edward Buchanan and Willy Chavarria, stylist and costume designer Shiona Turini, former Allure editor-in-chief Michelle Cohen, Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan, stylist and editor Alastair McKimm, retailer Sherri McMullen of McMullen boutique in Oakland, California, musician Travis Scott, and model Anok Yai. WWD
For a designer running an independent label, the money and the exposure matter in concrete ways. Independent designers — those without the backing of a luxury conglomerate like LVMH or Kering — typically finance production, payroll and showroom costs themselves, and a six-figure grant can cover a season's fabric and manufacturing, or fund a first retail lease. The internship and business-development components are structured to address the operational side that creative founders often handle alone.
The Frazier Family Foundation was established by Andréa W. Frazier and Kenneth C. Frazier, the former chief executive of the pharmaceutical company Merck. The CFDA, founded in 1962, runs a range of designer-support programmes, including the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship, and the Empowered Vision Award, which is specific to independent Black designers. CFDA
Applications for the 2026 award open on 1 September. The winner will be announced on 10 December in New York.
