The list of finalists who will compete for the 2012 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has been released, and the 13 up-and-coming designers on it include Wes Gordon, Tabitha Simmons, and Suno's Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty. The contestants will start proving their mettle at the end of July, when they will present their collections to a panel of judges. Other challenges will include creating a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry for Tiffany & Co. and presenting a show in Los Angeles. The work is worth it: last year's winner Joseph Altuzarra took home a prize of $300,000, while runners-up Pamela Love and Creatures of the Wind's Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters were given $100,000. Winners of the competition are also appointed talented mentors — Diane von Furstenberg, David Neville, and Marcus Wainwright have worked with winners in the past. This year's winner and runners-up will be announced in November. Below, a look at which designers are in the running.
- Andrea Lieberman — A.L.C.
- Greg Armas — Assembly New York
- Sofia Sizzi — Giulietta
- Justin Salguero, Daniel Silberman, and Alina Silberman — Illesteva
- Jennifer Fisher — Jennifer Fisher Jewelry
- Jennifer Meyer Maguire — Jennifer Meyer
- Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty — Suno
- Tabitha Simmons — Tabitha Simmons
- Greg Chait — The Elder Statesman
- Wes Gordon — Wes Gordon
Photo: Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty attend the 2011 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund awards dinner.
