Zane Li of Lii Wins the 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
Zane Li, the designer behind the New York label Lii, has won the 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, a prize for emerging American fashion designers. The winner was revealed on Tuesday, 20 October, at a celebratory dinner in New York.
The dinner took place at The Crane Club and was hosted by Tory Burch, Thom Browne, Chloe Malle and Anna Wintour. The prize is run by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the New York trade body for American designers, together with Vogue, the fashion magazine. Vogue reported that the winner receives a cash prize of USD 300,000 and industry mentorship.
Li was born in Chongqing, China, and is now based in New York. Li designs women's ready-to-wear, meaning clothes made in standard sizes and sold in shops rather than made to measure. Li studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. The label Lii was founded in 2024.
Two runners-up were also named: Emily Dawn Long and Aisling Camps. Each receives USD 100,000. WWD reported the award and the runners-up in its coverage published on 21 October.
The fund had ten finalists this year: Amir Taghi, Terrence Zhou of Bad Binch TongTong, Jamie Haller, Julia Ferentinos of Juju Vera, George Inaki of Milamore, Claire Sullivan, Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, Zane Li, Emily Dawn Long and Aisling Camps. Finalists were chosen at CFDA headquarters and presented their work at Vogue earlier in the season.
Li has already won other prizes this year. Li received the Fashion Trust U.S. Ready-to-Wear Award and the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, given at the LVMH Prize ceremony in Paris. LVMH is the French luxury group that owns brands including Louis Vuitton and Dior, and runs the LVMH Prize for young designers.
The fund was set up after the attacks of 11 September 2001 to support emerging designers. Its 2026 backers include the department store chains Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom, the social media platform Instagram, Vogue and the animal welfare group Humane World for Animals. Humane World ran this season's Material Innovation Challenge, which focused on bio-based textiles, meaning fabrics made from plant or other natural materials rather than oil-based fibres.
Last year's winner was Ashlynn Park. Earlier winners include Proenza Schouler and Joseph Altuzarra, both now established New York labels.
For a young label, the prize money and mentorship are the main practical gains. Designers who win the fund often use the money to pay for production, staff and new collections, though the award itself does not set out how the money must be spent.
