Zane Li of Lii Is the Winner of the 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
New York – The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund announced its 2026 winner on Tuesday night at Crane Club, where Zane Li, the founder of Lii, was named the recipient of the top prize. The ceremony opened with a toast from industry veterans Vera Wang, Henry Zankov, Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera, Christopher John Rogers and Tory Burch, who celebrated a fresh wave of talent in American fashion.
During dinner, CFDA chairman Thom Browne reflected on the perseverance required to build a label in the early 2000s. “I loved it more than anyone else,” he said, adding, “I knew that someone would eventually understand what I was doing.” Vogue’s head of editorial content Chloe Malle and model Mona Tougaard then took the stage to honor the ten finalists before Tougaard revealed the results.
Li, who was born in Chongqing and now works out of New York, entered a remarkable year. In April he captured the Fashion Trust US Ready‑to‑Wear Award, and in September he won the Karl Lagerfeld Prize at the LVMH Prize ceremony in Paris. The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s $300,000 cash award and a mentorship program now round out his 2026 accolades.
Speaking earlier in the finalist process, Li described the financial pressures of launching a young brand: “The business side is the difficult part,” he explained. “When you start to consider the income, the revenue, the loss, and the money you spend, suddenly you’re turning your interest into a job. The most rewarding part: you get to control everything. You get to pick your show music, which is my favorite part of doing a show. You get to pick what the color of the carpet is at your show space, and you get to decide what kind of styles you want to sell.”
On receiving the award, Li said, “It’s really surreal, but at the same time, because it’s been a crazy year for us, I think it’s a good ending spot. I came to the States when I was 18—I never thought about going to do fashion in Europe. New York is the starting point where I challenged myself, and it’s the first step to really know fashion.”
Browne highlighted the fund’s purpose, stating, “The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund is an important reminder of why we must continue to champion original voices and true creativity. Each of this year’s finalists brings a distinct point of view that only they could. Their true individuality is what makes American fashion so compelling and supporting their future is the responsibility of our industry. I look forward to seeing what they do next.”
The two runners‑up, Aisling Camps and Emily Dawn Long, will each receive $100,000 to help expand their businesses. Camps, a Trinidadian‑born engineer turned knitwear designer, debuted her runway collection at New York Fashion Week last month. Long’s “Spoiled Boys” T‑shirts have been spotted on several It‑boy celebrities throughout the summer.
Other finalists in the 2026 competition included Amir Taghi, Terrence Zhou of Bad Binch TongTong, Jamie Haller, Julia Ferentinos of Juju Vera, George Inaki of Milamore, Claire Sullivan of Miss Claire Sullivan and Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen. The cohort reflects a broad spectrum of American talent, ranging from custom ateliers and conceptual wearable art to unique jewelry and contemporary ready‑to‑wear.
Browne summed up the spirit of the event, “I have always believed that the most important thing a designer can have is a point of view, something personal and original that only they can say. The future of American fashion is possible only by supporting this idea and one another.”