Dive Brief:
- During the 27th annual Rising Star Awards in New York City Monday, Fashion Group International (FGI) unveiled new gender-neutral categories and launched its first mentorship program for aspiring fashion and beauty designers.
- Winners of this year’s Rising Star Awards in fashion included Bach Mai (eveningwear), Marrisa Wilson (ready-to-wear) and Teddy von Ranson (active/casualwear). Chris Donovan (footwear) and Oncept sneaker designers Megan Key Campos & Nick Lucio tied for the Rising Star accessories award. Kimberly Carney, founder and CEO of digital shopping marketplace The Wires, won for Entrepreneur of the Year.
- Several past Rising Star Award winners have later become household names, including Jason Wu, Tory Burch, Thom Brown, Joseph Altuzarra, Phillip Lim, Brandon Maxwell and Warby Parker.
Dive Insight:
The industry awards ceremony, held at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York, recognized winners in updated gender- inclusive categories in fashion apparel, accessories, fine jewelry, beauty, among others.
Reconfiguring the awards away from traditional men’s and women’s categories was a conscious decision by the nearly 100-year-old FGI to better reflect the current state of the industry and its continuing push toward gender inclusivity.
"The FGI Rising Star competition categories reflect the evolution of the consumer market and a fluid fashion and consumer landscape,” said Maryanne Grisz, FGI president and CEO in an email. “FGI has re-envisioned traditional Rising Star Awards gender categories acknowledging that consumers purchase product that is unique to their style and individuality."
A new mentorship program was also created by the FGI Foundation to better connect Rising Star recipients with industry veterans for mentorship, career support and educational resources. In addition to direct mentoring, the program includes a series of videos covering key business challenges and the tools needed to help overcome them.
It is one of several mentorship programs launched in the industry recently, often aimed at diversifying the top rungs of the fashion space. Earlier this month, Balmain partnered with In the Blk, a nonprofit whose mission is to support the professional development of Black-owned fashion brands. Kering Americas is also working with Black In Corporate, launching an extended virtual mentorship program on April 7.
FGI was created in 1928 to help career advancement in fashion. It was founded by a group of 17 women leaders, with original charters including Helena Rubenstein, Eleanor Roosevelt and Edith Head.
