The Fashion Scholarship Fund’s 85th Awards Gala Honors Virgil Abloh’s Legacy

Earlier this week, the Fashion Scholarship Fund held its 85th annual gala to celebrate the class of 2022 FSF scholars. In addition to recognizing its new scholarship class, the added power in this year’s gala was the Fund’s honoring of the late visionary designer, Virgil Abloh.

This year’s event included an array of fashion figures like Anna Wintour, Jonathan Anderson, Tremaine Emory and more. A part of paying tribute to Virgil Abloh was the recognition of his “Post-Modern Scholarship Fund.” Established in July of 2020, Abloh created the fund to drive equity within the fashion landscape by empowering upcoming Black students and creatives to become industry leaders. With its inception, the fund raised one million dollars towards this goal with evian participating as a leading partner alongside Louis Vuitton, the New Guards group and more.

“Without question, Virgil made a profound impact on the lives of his inaugural class of “Post-Modern” Scholars in the many ways he made himself available to them as a mentor and a role model,” said Peter Arnold, executive director at the Fashion Scholarship Fund. “He also encouraged his brand partners to join him in his mission to support the aspirations of promising Black undergraduates.”

Hosted by Renée Elise Goldsberry, this year’s event highlighted the works of 123 scholars from across the country. The four finalists Emily Becker, Naecia Dixon, Eliezer Eisenman and Ifechi Ilozor were all tasked with presenting a case study that tackled issues affecting the fashion industry to judges like Tremaine Emory (Creative Director, Supreme) Eva Chen (Director of Fashion Partnerships, Instagram), Lucille Moreau (Director of Culture & Experience, evian), and more. Taking home this year’s grand prize was Naecia Dixon of Savannah College of Art and Design.

Check out the gallery above for a look at this year’s gala.

In related news, LOEWE Paula’s Ibiza SS22 welcomes you to Jonathan Anderson’s party island.