Promotional competition of the Fashion Council Germany & Vogue Germany selects first prize winner

Berlin, September 24, 2024: The FCG/VOGUE Fashion Fund competition , jointly initiated by the Fashion Council Germany and Vogue Germany, announced its first winner , Kasia Kucharska, on Monday. She was announced at the Vogue Forces of Fashion event in Berlin to an audience of nearly 250 guests by Michael Biel (State Secretary for Economic Affairs), Kerstin Weng (Head of Editorial Content, Vogue Germany), and Christiane Arp (Chairwoman, Fashion Council Germany). The prize was presented by Edward Enninful (Global Creative and Cultural Advisor of Vogue) and model Paloma Elsesser, who are both part of this year's jury. The Berlin designer Kasia Kucharska With her eponymous label, she prevailed against the six other finalists: Lou de Bètoly , LUEDER , NAMILIA , Richert Beil , SF1OG and Sia Arnika has won. This places her among the list of internationally successful US winners such as Melitta Baumeister (2023), Christopher John Rogers (2019) and Joseph Altuzarra (2011).

As a graduate of the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), Kasia Kucharska, together with her former classmates Wanda Wollinsky and Reiner Törner, reinterprets the time-honored material of lace with her label "Future Craft." Her designs are cast from biodegradable latex, many of them without generating any waste. In addition to prize money of €25,000, she will receive various communication services and a business mentoring program. Over the next twelve months, this program will involve in-depth exploration of six different topics with renowned industry experts Christiane Arp (Collection Development), Kerstin Weng (Media/Press), Mumi Haiati (Brand Development), Roel de Cooman (Sales), Scott Lipinski (Business), and Vanessa Gudehus (Production). The prize also includes the production of a fashion show for Berlin Fashion Week in February 2025, where the upcoming collection will be presented.

Scott Lipinski, CEO of the Fashion Council Germany, emphasized: “We are proud to announce Kasia Kucharska as the first winner of the FCG/VOGUE Fashion Fund. As an up-and-coming designer from Berlin, we saw great potential in her and her designs. Her creative and unique approach to rethinking fashion particularly impressed me and the jury. I am certain that she has a successful international career ahead of her.”

Kerstin Weng, Head of Editorial Content at Vogue Germany , added: “ Kasia Kucharska’s looks impressed me immediately because they brilliantly combine a unique aesthetic and an individual approach with modern, contemporary design and sustainability. I’m proud that we have labels in Berlin that freely express their creativity and follow their own vision without compromise – and that this has now been recognized by the FCG/VOGUE Fashion Fund and an international jury. We are all excited to see what the future holds for the label, and I look forward to contributing to giving it the attention it deserves, not only in Germany but also through our global network, with Vogue.”

The overarching goal of the FCG/VOGUE Fashion Fund is to support emerging design talents who demonstrate an innovative and creative approach. This includes guiding these talents on their path into the industry. With the announcement of the German edition of the internationally renowned Fashion Fund during Berlin Fashion Week in February 2024, labels and designers based in Germany were invited to apply. For the July 2025 edition, the seven finalists were announced at a celebratory cocktail reception, and their designs were exhibited at Der Berliner Salon in the historic Bode Museum.

In the subsequent second selection phase, further documents had to be submitted, including a presentation video with a business plan and, optionally, a collection concept, which were then evaluated by a high-caliber expert jury. This jury consisted of eight international industry experts: Christiane Arp (Chairwoman of the Board, FCG), Edward Enninful OBE (Global Creative and Cultural Advisor, Vogue), Kerstin Weng (Head of Editorial Content, Vogue Germany), Kim Petras (singer), Margaret Zhang (film producer), Mumi Haiati (CEO & Founder, Reference Studios), Paloma Elsesser (model), and Scott Lipinski (CEO, Fashion Council Germany).

Further details on the first edition of the FCG/VOGUE Fashion Fund can be found at VOGUE.de and on the website of the Fashion Council Germany .

The initiative received an award in the competition for innovative event formats. Co-financed by the European Union and the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.