AUSFF Announces 2021 Scholarship Award Winners
NEW YORK/SYDNEY/MELBOURNE/BRISBANE (DECEMBER 15, 2021) – The Australian Fashion Foundation (AUSFF) tonight announced the 2021 winners of its annual scholarship awards, showcasing a promising future for the Australian fashion industry.
The two winners of the 2021 AUSFF Scholarship Awards were presented to fashion designer Michelle Li, a recent graduate of RMIT, and creative director, photographer and stylist Mikayla Hogg of the Whitehouse Institute of Design.
In partnership with the American Australian Association (AAA), the two winners will each receive a USD$20,000 grant and, pending global travel restrictions, an internship with a global fashion powerhouse in the United States in 2022.
The Foundation continued its commitment to the future of Australian fashion, again returning to a virtual format this year, held with industry luminaries joining from Australia and the United States.
The esteemed judging panel came together virtually to announce the winner who was selected from a pool of nine finalists. The 2020 finalists were: Alexander Beattie, Georgia Bell, Grace Nanai, Lilli McKenzie, Maddison Robinson, Michelle Li, Mikayla Hogg, Miu Tsujikawa, and Yongbin Zhang.
The judges present at the awards announcement included Brana Wolf (Legendary Fashion Stylist and Editor); Nicky Zimmermann (Co-Founder and Creative Director, ZIMMERMANN); Georgia Lazzaro (Designer; Consultant; AUSFF Alumni); Julie Anne Quay (Co- Founder, AUSFF and Founder, VFILES); and Malcolm Carfrae (Co-Founder, AUSFF and Founder and Principal, Carfrae Consulting).
AUSFF is pleased to continue to provide promising Australian graduates an opportunity to build their skills at an international level, with previous winners completing internships at wardrobe.nyc, Dion Lee, Narciso Rodriguez, Proenza Schouler, Louis Vuitton, Thom Browne, Alexander McQueen, DVF, and Calvin Klein.
The Australian Fashion Foundation is a New York based global non-profit organization which supports emerging Australian creative talent to gain world class fashion experience and mentorship. The AUSFF Scholarship Awards are open to designers, photographers, stylists, writers, and art directors - any fashion profession that meets the criteria of eligibility.
ABOUT AUSFF
SINCE 2009, THE AUSTRALIAN FASHION FOUNDATION HAS LED THE WAY IN PROMOTING AND MENTORING TALENTED AND PASSIONATE YOUNG AUSTRALIANS IN THE FASHION AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES ON A GLOBAL SCALE BY PROVIDING THEM WITH WORLD CLASS, HANDS-ON INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE, TO RETURN HOME WITH GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED TRAINING AND CONTACTS. BY OPENING THESE DOORS AND CREATING THIS PLATFORM, THE AUSTRALIAN FASHION FOUNDATION NOT ONLY PROPELS THE PASSIONS AND PATHS OF THESE INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO SERVES TO FURTHER EXPAND AND ENRICH THE FUTURE OF THE AUSTRALIAN FASHION INDUSTRY, ABROAD AND IN AUSTRALIA. THE AUSTRALIAN FASHION FOUNDATION WAS CO-FOUNDED BY MALCOLM CARFRAE (CARFRAE CONSULTING) AND JULIE ANNE QUAY (VFILES).
ABOUT THE AMERICAN AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION
THE AMERICAN AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION IS PROUD TO BE THE 2020 AUSFF SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS TITLE SPONSOR. ESTABLISHED BY SIR KEITH MURDOCH IN NEW YORK CITY IN 1948, THE AMERICAN AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION (AAA) IS THE LEADING PRIVATELY FUNDED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO DEEPENING AND STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE INSTITUTIONS AND PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES AND AUSTRALIA THROUGH ITS BUSINESS, EDUCATION, VETERANS AND ARTS PROGRAMS. RECOGNIZING THE ENERGIZING EFFECT OF NEW ENVIRONMENTS, INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, ARTISTIC EXCHANGE AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, THE AAA HAS TO DATE AWARDED MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN GRANTS TO EMERGING OR EARLY CAREER AUSTRALIAN AND AMERICAN ARTISTS WHO SHOW PROMISE IN THE FIELDS OF THEATRE, FASHION, DANCE, FILM & TELEVISION, MUSIC, LITERARY ARTS, VISUAL ARTS, CRAFT AND DESIGN.