LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FORWARD by Elyse Walker (FORWARD) and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) today announced the launch of the ‘Rising Talent Program,’ an initiative to support the development of emerging designers in the luxury fashion industry. The CFDA & FORWARD ‘Rising Talent Retail Program’ is the first formal mentorship program sponsored by FORWARD by Elyse Walker to share decades of industry knowledge with promising up-and-coming luxury fashion designers.
Designers Juan Carlos Obando, Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis of Suno, and Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard of Veronica Beard were hand selected by the CFDA and FORWARD to participate in the inaugural program, which was designed to foster emerging talent and provide insight into growing and maintaining a successful luxury brand. The program kicks off with a two-day workshop in Los Angeles led by FORWARD Fashion Director Elyse Walker and Co-Founders and CEOs of REVOLVE Michael Mente and Mike Karanikolas, as well as key executives from the CFDA who will advise on best practices in today’s industry across various verticals, through a retail market lens, in order for these designers to achieve their next stage of growth. The program includes a celebratory cocktail party in Los Angeles to honor the talented designers.
Together with the FORWARD buying team, each designer has also created an exclusive capsule collection which will launch for the Spring/Summer 2016 season. It is comprised of several exclusive styles and will launch in conjunction with the unveiling of their core Spring/Summer collections early next year.
“FORWARD has always been a champion of emerging designers, and with the current shake-ups in the fashion industry, from e-commerce and fast fashion to social shopping, it’s a challenging time for early talent to achieve that critical next stage in their growth,” said Elyse Walker, Fashion Director, FORWARD. “As we continually work to support top creative talent in the industry, it was natural to collaborate with the CFDA. This is simply another progression of our mission and we are thrilled to launch this program.”
Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA, said, “The expertise and experience that Elyse Walker and the FORWARD team have in the retail sector is invaluable and will propel the businesses of the participating designers to the next level.”
The capsule collection will be available for purchase on FORWARD by Elyse Walker in early 2016. To learn more about the Rising Talent Program, please visit www.fwrd.com/cfda.
About FORWARD by Elyse Walker
Translating the brick and mortar boutique into a singular online shopping experience, FORWARD transcends traditional e- commerce with its combination of first-class customer service and elite roster of designers. Ranging from iconic maisons de couture to the latest emerging talents, all of style’s leading names are here, shot in ever-evolving, consistently chic and stylishly striking editorial imagery. For more information please visit www.fwrd.com @fwrd
About the CFDA
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc, (CFDA) is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1962 that leads industry-wide initiatives and whose membership consists of more than 500 of America’s foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry, and accessory designers. In addition to hosting the annual CFDA Fashion Awards, which recognize the top creative talent in the industry, the organization stages New York Fashion Week: Men’s.
It also offers programs which support professional development and scholarships, including the CFDA {Fashion Incubator}, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship Award, the Liz Claiborne Design Scholarship Award and the CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship. In 2013, the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative was created to nurture, elevate and preserve garment production in New York City. Member support is provided through the Strategic Partnerships Group, a high-profile group of companies offering designers strategic opportunities. The CFDA Foundation, Inc. is a separate, not-for-profit organized to mobilize the membership to raise funds for charitable causes. Through the Foundation, the CFDA created and manages the worldwide Fashion Targets Breast Cancer initiative; raises funds for HIV/AIDS organizations with events such as Fashion’s Night Out and 7th on Sale and addresses the issue of model health with The CFDA Health Initiative.
For more information, please visit www.CFDA.com, facebook.com/cfda, twitter.com/cfda, cfda.tumblr.com, and youtube.com/cfdatv