The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s “Americans in Paris” will return to France’s capital city Oct. 4 and 5.
This time, there will be 10 previous and current Fashion Fund designers presenting their collections in a showroom that is being presented by Instagram, during Paris Fashion Week. Additional support for what will be the initiative’s 19th season is being provided by Danucera and Supima.
Started in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to help designers and to foster the next generation of American talent, the program has provided mentoring to 189 designers and more than $7.7 million in financial support.
This season’s roster includes 2025 CVFF finalists Bach Mai, Bernard James, Meruert Tolegen, Ashley Moubayed of Don’t Let Disco, and Gabe Gordon and Timothy Gibbons of Gabe Gordon. Others who will be showing off their designs will be 2024 CVFF finalists Jane Wade, Kate Barton and Taylor Thompson of 5000, as well as the 2024 CVFF winning sisters Dynasty and Soull Ogun of L’Enchanteur and Lauren Harwell Godfrey, who was a 2022 CVFF finalist. The two-day showcase will kick off with an invitation-only celebratory cocktail party in Paris.
The showroom will be open at 6, Place Des Victoires on Oct. 4 and 5 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
All of this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s Americans in Paris participants stand to gain global exposure, and sales, marketing and media support to bolster their respective businesses. The combination of the past and present is a first.
“We are excited to feature, for the first time, both past and current CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists at the Americans in Paris showroom,” said Steven Kolb, chief executive officer and president of the CFDA. “We are grateful to Instagram for underwriting the showcase, which helps position young American designers on the global stage, giving them an early foundation to grow their businesses and reach new audiences.”
Meruert Tolegen Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Courtesy of Meruert Tolegen
Mark Holgate, global network lead and U.S. fashion features director of Vogue, said, “Nothing makes us happier or prouder [than] to have some of our best and brightest designers shining on the world stage at Americans in Paris, and to have some of this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists makes it doubly wonderful. We’re in a season of major transformation for fashion — and our Americans in Paris are part of that change.”
“Instagram is thrilled to continue our support of this incredible initiative, which empowers the brightest new names in American fashion to grow their voices and businesses on a global stage,” said Eva Chen, vice president of fashion partnerships at Instagram.