Geoffrey Beene Supports Tomorrow's Designers Today
As a fashion designer, Geoffrey Beene played by his own rules and refused to follow the pack.
He understood that young creative talent needs to be nurtured and supported. Designers like Alber Elbaz, Doori Chung and Stephen Dweck proudly claim Mr. Beene as their mentor.
Geoffrey Beene's recent endowments of $5 million to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and more than $3 million to the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund, mean fashion students and young designers have access to Geoffrey Beene Educational Programs and National Scholarships designed to help them master their craft and develop their own unique vision.
Geoffrey Beene and the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund
The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund and The Geoffrey Beene Foundation have formed a five-year strategic alliance to further the mutual goal of expanding support for students seeking careers in the Fashion Industry. The Geoffrey Beene Foundation will contribute $2 million, beyond the $1 million already donated, to the Fund over the next five years.
Commencing January 2008, the YMA will grant four $25K "Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards" to enterprising students majoring in fashion and related disciplines (design, merchandising, finance, marketing, retailing and liberal arts). These four $25K awards will be presented annually at the YMA/Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Awards Dinner to the most outstanding students identified among the YMA's 25 partnering colleges and universities across the U.S.
View a profile of a 2008 Geoffrey Beene Scholarship winner.
Geoffrey Beene and the CFDA
A major $5 million dollar gift from the Geoffrey Beene Foundation in 2007 greatly expanded the CFDA's core scholarship program by $2.5 million. This generous donation significantly increased existing CFDA educational grants, and funded the establishment of a merit-based $25,000 GEOFFREY BEENE DESIGN SCHOLAR AWARD — to identify the most exemplary, innovative women’s wear design student, based on specific guidelines.
This prestigious new design award program brings the work of the legendary American fashion designer Geoffrey Beene into classrooms at the country's leading design colleges and universities. A specialized teaching curriculum created for the GEOFFREY BEENE DESIGN SCHOLAR AWARD will challenge students to look beyond conforming to trends and business restraints in order to advance the art form. Only the top two (2) junior students from each of the participating schools will be invited to submit a portfolio for consideration. This competitive award will be based solely on merit as judged by a prestigious panel of industry experts.
"Geoffrey Beene was one of America's exceptional designers who never compromised his originality for trends. He enjoyed helping college interns and he would have loved this special award," said Tom Hutton, President and CEO of Geoffrey Beene, Inc.
This year's 2008 GEOFFREY BEENE DESIGN SCHOLAR is Ghazaleh M. Khalifeh, a student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA. She will receive $25,000 to help defray senior year tuition and educational expenses. The scholarship award will be officially announced and presented at the annual CFDA Fashion Awards.
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award
This year, the 2008 Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will be granted to Carolina Herrera, a style icon and consummate ambassador of the Geoffrey Beene legacy. The 2007 Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award went to jewelry designer, Robert Lee Morris. The CFDA Geoffrey Beene Educational Programs and Scholarships are supported by the Geoffrey Beene brand and the GBGB™ campaign.
Envisioning the Future:
Geoffrey Beene has committed support for non-profit programs with core missions of improving the emotional, health and life needs of women and children.
GBGB™ also proudly supports the in-store promotion for the American Heart Association's "Go Red For Women Movement"
Geoffrey Beene Gives Back™
All net profits from Geoffrey Beene will be donated to philanthropic causes that support innovative research with cutting edge focus on signature solutions to a host of medical, educational and societal issues
YMA Geoffrey Beene National Scholars Finalists with Tom Hutton (CEO of Geoffrey Beene), Mara Hutton (wearing Geoffrey Beene), and Virginia Mainiero (President of YMA).