Geoffrey Beene

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 has donated approximately $2.285 million, out of in excess of $3 million, in total commitments to the Fund over five years.

Since the beginning of 2008, the Fashion Scholarship Fund has been granting 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 are presented annually at the FSF Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Awards Dinner to the most outstanding students identified among the FSF's 28 partnering colleges and universities across the U.S.

Geoffrey Beene and the CFDA

A $5 million pledge 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 challenges 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 are invited to submit a portfolio for consideration. This competitive award is 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, LLC.

Click here to watch "Geoffrey Beene: Learning from a Design Legacy" documentary

2010's GEOFFREY BEENE DESIGN SCHOLAR is Carmen Chen Wu, a Parson's student. She received $25,000 to help defray tuition and educational expenses.

2009's GEOFFREY BEENE DESIGN SCHOLAR is Niloufar Mozafari, a Parson's student.

2008's GEOFFREY BEENE DESIGN SCHOLAR is Ghazaleh M. Khalifeh, a student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA.

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award

This year, the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Michael Kors, by Anna Wintour, Vogue Editor In Chief.

Last year, the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Anna Sui, by Jack White of the White Stripes. Tom Hutton, CEO of Geoffrey Beene, LLC, says of Anna Sui, "I have been a huge admirer of Anna's designs for some time. Her work is unique and inspirational, exactly what Geoffrey Beene respected. She is a great role model for the industry and a consummate designer."