On Wednesday evening, the fourth floor of the Bloomingdale’s flagship gave a glimpse into the future of American fashion—one that looked pretty promising by all accounts. Around the space, mannequins and vitrines showcased the distinctive point of view of the ten finalists within this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund; each clear on their own customer, and each ready to hold their own against the department store’s established brand assortment.
The class of 2026 spans womenswear and menswear labels, as well as two jewelry lines: Aisling Camps, Amir Taghi, Terrence Zhou of Bad Binch TongTong, Emily Dawn Long, Jamie Haller, Julia Ferentinos of Juju Vera, Zane Li of Lii, George Inaki of Milamore, Claire Sullivan of Miss Claire Sullivan, and Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen. As industry guests joined the designers for cocktails, they posed proudly beside their respective creations and talked people through their modus operandi.
“I love seeing everyone’s work on these mannequins—I’m imagining them on the floor in a few months time,” beamed Chloe Malle, head of editorial content at American Vogue. “From the work that the designers have on display here tonight, you can see how incredibly varied their references are. But what they share is a real singularity of vision and commitment to the craft, and I am so in awe of everything that they are doing.”
“Bloomingdale’s really loves to support emerging designers and give them a platform,” agreed Denise Magid, the retailer’s Chief Merchant and a member of this year’s selection committee, adding, it’s an honor to help share their “tremendous creativity” with prime real estate within the store.
Instagram’s Eva Chen and Christopher John Rogers, who are also among the selection committee, stopped by to support. Indeed, the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the Fund as a launchpad for next-gen talent, as Rogers, who won the prize back in 2019, has his label stocked at Bloomingdale’s.
The crowd, which included designers, editors, and members of the Friends of the CFDA, stayed to trade notes on a busy New York Fashion Week and peruse the just-landed Phoebe Philo collection adjacent to the CVFF installation, before calling it a night.
The 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner will be announced on October 20 at a celebratory dinner gala in New York City.
