The fashion stars came out on Monday, June 6 for the annual CFDA Awards, including Yura Yang, a rising star from FIT who was named the recipient of the $25,000 Liz Claiborne Design Scholarship Award. Yang is a BFA Fashion Design student entering her final two semesters. She is specializing in sportswear.
This prestigious award, which was established in 2009 by the CFDA and Art Ortenberg, Liz Claiborne’s husband and business partner in recognition of the important contributions to the fashion industry made by Claiborne, is presented to the student who best addresses the lifestyle and needs of women, given the current culture and world in which she lives and works – based on specific guidelines. The award is based solely on merit, as judged by a prestigious panel of industry experts. It must be used toward the student’s senior year tuition and/or educational expenses.
Anne Elisabeth Jane “Liz” Claiborne (March 31, 1929 – June 26, 2007) was a Belgian-born American fashion designer and entrepreneur. Her success was built on stylish yet affordable apparel for career women, featuring colorfully tailored separates that could be mixed and matched. Claiborne is best known for co-founding Liz Claiborne Inc., which in 1986 became the first company founded by a woman to make the Fortune 500 list. Claiborne was the first woman to become chair and CEO of a Fortune 500 company.