On Thursday, the Council of Fashion Designers of America Foundation (CFDAF) and the Bezos Earth Fund announced a $6.25 million partnership to accelerate innovation and education in sustainable fashion.

Called CFDA x BEF: The Next Thread Initiative, the three-year collaboration will fund designers, students, and creative projects that push fashion toward circularity and low-impact production. It marks the Bezos Earth Fund’s first formal partnership with a fashion organisation.

Under the initiative, emerging American designers who centre sustainability through their design and production will be eligible for grants of $50,000 to $500,000 through the Independent Designer Awards, while student scholarships ranging from $25,000 to $75,000 will help remove financial barriers for aspiring sustainable designers. The CFDA will also mount exhibitions and digital storytelling programs spotlighting grantees’ work and the commercial potential of responsible fashion.

“This partnership provides designers and students with tangible support to build a more sustainable future for fashion,” said Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the CFDA. He noted that the effort builds on more than a decade of CFDA initiatives advancing sustainability in American fashion through resources like the Sustainability Resource Hub, a directory of initiatives brands can access to become more sustainable, and platforming next-gen material use and resale.

Tom Taylor, President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund, said the collaboration is a part of a wider investment in materials science and supply chain innovation by the philanthropic organisation.

“Fashion has always been a mirror of culture, and now, it can be a catalyst for change,” he said.

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