Overview
- Zhou was selected at a Feb. 5 private showcase at Genesis House in New York City after finalists presented completed collections.
- He received an added $60,000 to further his business, bringing his total grant support to $100,000.
- Each finalist was awarded $40,000, mentorship from industry advisors, and a five-month program that included a cultural immersion trip to Seoul.
- Zhou’s three-piece collection framed innovation as incubation, referencing the Pan Gu creation myth, a Korean moon jar, a monumental lily, and an aerodynamic automotive prototype.
- CFDA’s Steven Kolb and Genesis’s Tedros Mengiste praised the designers’ culturally driven work as setting an inspiring tone ahead of New York Fashion Week.