Fashion Trust U.S. Awards $600,000 to Emerging Designers in Los Angeles

Fashion Trust U.S. did more than hand out trophies in Los Angeles. It put $600,000 behind the next layer of American fashion, backing five emerging labels and a Future Form winner with grants and ongoing mentorship through Fashion Trust U.S. and Google.

The nonprofit’s fourth annual awards took over Nya Studios West on Tuesday night, with Ego Nwodim hosting, Lykke Li performing live, and Jon & Vinny’s handling dinner for a room that felt fully tuned to the moment. Fashion Trust U.S., founded by Tania Fares, works as a pressure point in the industry: 16 finalists were selected for 2026, presented their work on April 7, and the winners were chosen from that pool to receive money and visibility at the exact stage when both matter most.

The winners map out where the organization is placing its bets. Zane Li of LII took ready-to-wear, Marcelle Barbosa of Amaramara won graduate, Andrea Marron won accessories, Josefina Baillères won jewelry, and Maxwell Osborne and Kristy Chen of AnOnlyChild won sustainability. Deborah Won of Pisces Rising claimed the Future Form prize, created with Type One Ventures and Lanvin Group around the theme Space, Reimagined, with support that runs from design through manufacturing. That last part matters. In fashion, a grant gets attention, but manufacturing help is what can turn a sharp concept into a real business.

The honors carried their own weight. Tory Burch received Designer of the Year, with Pamela Anderson presenting the award, and Michèle Lamy received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Design & Culture, presented by Erykah Badu and Travis Scott. Burch’s name gives the evening instant recognition, but the real story is how Fashion Trust U.S. used those marquee moments to pull eyes toward younger labels that still need capital, mentorship, and a clearer path to scale.

The guest list and carpet followed the same logic. Dove Cameron, Julia Fox, Natasha Lyonne, James Franco, Mindy Kaling, Coco Jones, Becky G, Uzo Aduba, Winnie Harlow, and Geena Davis all showed up in a room where the clothes were part endorsement, part early signal. Simkhai, Nicholas Oakwell, Monse, Ashley Williams, Tony Ward, and Cult Gaia got the kind of celebrity mileage money usually cannot buy. Fashion Trust U.S. made the evening feel less like a charity gala than a live read on where industry attention is flowing next: toward designers who can turn taste into infrastructure, and infrastructure into the next real American brand.