Fashion Trust U.S. crowned new winners
The Fashion Trust U.S. Awards took place April 7 at Nya Studios in Los Angeles and handed grants and mentorship to emerging labels — winners included Zane Li and Marcelle Barbosa — while honoring industry figures like Tory Burch and Michèle Lamy. The event drew a celebrity cross‑section on the red carpet — Jodie Turner‑Smith, Pamela Anderson, Erykah Badu, Travis Scott, Coco Jones and Yara Shahidi were among attendees — signaling the ceremony’s growing cultural pull for designers and stars alike. ( )
One of fashion’s more useful red carpets happened in Los Angeles on April 7: the Fashion Trust U.S. awards gave cash grants and mentoring to five emerging labels instead of just handing out trophies. Zane Li of LII won ready-to-wear, and Marcelle Barbosa of Amaramara won the graduate prize. (businessoffashion.com, fashionista.com) The rest of the winners filled out the parts of a modern brand that usually need the most money upfront: Andrea Marron won accessories, Josefina Baillères won jewelry, and Maxwell Osborne and Kristy Chen of AnOnlyChild took the sustainability award. All 16 finalists were also considered for that sustainability prize. (fashionista.com, fashionnetwork.com) Fashion Trust U.S. is a nonprofit set up by Tania Fares to back American designers before they become household names, with business support and industry introductions alongside the checks. The 2026 ceremony was its fourth annual awards night, which shows how quickly it has tried to build an American version of fashion’s patronage system. (wwd.com, fashionunited.com) That support matters because independent labels are trying to survive in a market where fabric, production, shipping and marketing all got more expensive at once. Vogue described the pressure directly this week, arguing that young designers need more support than ever as wholesale and financing conditions stay tough. (vogue.com) The event also worked like a speed-dating room for fashion power. Winners were selected by the Fashion Trust U.S. board, advisory board and Google representatives after a finalist showcase at The West Hollywood Edition earlier that day. (fashionnetwork.com, wwd.com) The celebrity turnout showed how much the ceremony has grown beyond a niche industry dinner. Jodie Turner-Smith, Pamela Anderson, Erykah Badu, Travis Scott, Coco Jones, Yara Shahidi, Fergie and Paris Jackson were all part of the crowd at Nya Studios West. (wwd.com, wwd.com) The honors for established figures made the same point from the other direction. Tory Burch received the inaugural Fashion Trust U.S. Honorary Award, and Michèle Lamy received the inaugural Patron Award. (wwd.com, fashionunited.com) Even the staging was calibrated to make the night feel bigger than a grant program. Ego Nwodim hosted the ceremony, and Lykke Li performed, turning what could have been a private donor dinner into a cultural event that both celebrities and buyers wanted to attend. (wwd.com, fashionunited.com) What Fashion Trust U.S. is really selling is time. A young label that wins money, mentorship and introductions in April 2026 gets a better shot at making it through the next production cycle without shrinking its ambitions to fit its bank account. (vogue.com, businessoffashion.com)
