Virgil Abloh, Fernando Garcia, and More Join the CFDA

The CFDA Board of Directors announced 14 new talents who are joining the prestigious membership, including Virgil Abloh of Off-White and Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim of Monse, creating a total of 517 members. “The organization is very proud to add the 2017 New Members to our roster,” said Lisa Smilor, executive vice president of the CFDA. “Each of these 14 designers stood out to the Admissions Committee and Board of Directors as uniquely and extremely talented.” Other designers who are joining the best-of-the-best in fashion include Krewe’s Stirling Barrett, Andrea Fohrman, Chloe Gosselin, Pyer Moss’ Kerby Jean-Raymond, Julia Jentzsch, R13’s Chris Leba, Chromat’s Becca McCharen-Tran, Monica Sordo, Temple St. Clair, Wing Yin Yau of Wwake, and Bonnie Young of By. Bonnie Young. What does it take to join the CFDA? Designers must be American citizens designing in the United States or abroad, or foreign nationals with businesses headquartered in the United States. The application for membership includes a resume, a digital portfolio, and other materials that represent the candidate’s work to-date, as well as letters of recommendation from active CFDA members and industry associates who are familiar with the designer’s work. The Admissions Committee then recommends selected candidates for membership to the Board of Directors, which reviews submissions and ratifies the decisions. There you have it!