Christopher John Rogers: 2019 CFDA Fashion Fund Winner
Brooklyn-based designer Christopher John Rogers was awarded the 2019 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund on Monday, November 4th. As the grand prize winner, Rogers will receive $400,000 towards his brand and a year of priceless mentorship by the CFDA fashion council. The two runner-ups, Danielle Hirsch and Reese Cooper, will both receive secondary prizes of $150,000 for their brands.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rogers studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion & Apparel with a 4.0 GPA. Previously, Rogers interned for designer Tanya Taylor in 2015. He also worked a full-time job while he started his brand from the ground up. Rogers recently quit his role as knitwear designer and colorist for Diane Von Furstenberg, where he stayed from 2017 to March 2019. He created his eponymous label in 2016, which was based on his graduation line.
No stranger to accomplishments and praise, Rogers received multiple awards during and after his time at university. He receives extensive press coverage for his eponymous work from NYTimes, Grazia Daily, Yahoo, TeenVogue, TheCut, Zoe Report, and dozens of others.
Rogers placed first place in the Saga Fur Design Competition in 2015 for developing a collection of fox and mink furs in unique ways. He used a minimal amount of furs to maximize the impact of his designs, later studying in Denmark with Saga Furs to learn about improving fur technique and application.
In 2015, Rogers won a Swarovski Sponsorship for his S/S 2016 collection. He won the sponsorship during his internship with Tanya Taylor by creating illustrations of the innovative usage of Swarovski products.
In 2016, he was a part of the CFDA+ Design Graduate program. The CFDA helped him on his journey as a new designer straight out of fashion school.
Christopher John Rogers has always had an eye for the unexpected, combining elements of different times in history. His most recent S/S 2020 collection received a well-earned standing ovation for his work. The concept behind the designs was “clowns on vacation".
Roger’s work in creating dramatic evening wear includes volume, stand-out colors, bows, ruffles, glitz and glam, and has caught the attention of multiple celebrities. Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Jameela Jamil, Ashley Graham, Kat Graham, Tracee Elis Ross, Chloe and Halle, Karlie Kloss, Lizzo, and countless others are die-hard fans of the designer. Cardi B wore his garments to the BET Awards in 2017, making her one of the first celebrities to wear clothing from his graduation collection.
Previous influential winners of the CFDA Fashion Fund have included Pyer Moss, Telfar, Brock Collection, Jonathan Simkhai, The Elder Statesman, Altuzarra, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler. Runners up have included Bode, Chromat, Adam Selman, Ryan Roche, Prabal Gurung, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rodarte, and Derek Lam.