Tiffany & Company intends to add a new member to its design team in February. But the person is being recruited in an unusual way: a competition created with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and a fellowship that includes a yearlong salaried position going to the winner.
The Tiffany & Company x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award was devised to spotlight “the amazing talent that America has in terms of design” as well as “the need to shine the light on that inclusivity and to be very conscious that everybody can come from a different walk of life — creativity is all across the board,” said Stephanie Oueda-Cruz, Tiffany’s vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
The award was created through diversity initiatives: Tiffany Atrium, introduced in 2022, and CFDA Impact, founded in 2021. “This for us,” said Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s chief executive, “is really making good on a commitment we made and focusing on probably what is a community that gets the least amount of attention in terms of support, which are jewelers.”
Applications, which closed Aug. 16, were accepted from designers who are at least 18 years old and met requirements concerning residence and employment. As many as eight finalists are to be chosen in September, then in October they all will be invited to a three-day program in New York to meet with staff members from Tiffany and the CFDA as well as other industry professionals.
The finalists — and ultimately, the winner — will be selected by a group of judges that includes the celebrities Gabrielle Union and Joan Smalls; two Tiffany executives, Alexandre Arnault, its executive vice president of product, communications and industrial, and Nathalie Verdeille, the brand’s chief artistic officer, jewelry and high jewelry; the fashion designer Jason Wu, a CFDA member; and Bethann Hardison, a model, model agency founder, CFDA board member and vocal supporter of inclusiveness in the fashion world.
“It was important to us that we didn’t just have jewelry people, but that there were different points of view,” Mr. Kolb said.
The award is to include a $50,000 prize in addition to the $100,000 pay for the full-time position on the design team. That combination, industry experts say, will add to the prize’s impact.
“While mentorship is crucial, financial support is equally important,” said Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez, the vice president of the Black in Jewelry Coalition, a trade group that was invited to a CFDA-organized online session in mid-August to encourage applications. “What makes this initiative exceptional is the upfront fellowship amount coupled with the position offered — that creates a comprehensive package that sets someone up for success.”
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