The Fashion Trust U.S.'s Inaugural Awards Ceremony Celebrated Sustainability, Inclusion, and of Course, Fashion

There was no shortage of star power — or red carpet-worthy fashion — at last night's Fashion Trust U.S. ceremony in Los Angeles. With awards season officially in the rear-view mirror, stylists, designers, and celebrities came together to celebrate the best emerging designers in America with Fashion Trust U.S., the stateside branch of Tania Fares and Co.'s now-global organization that helps fashion designers pair up with mentors for both production and professional development. Hosted by comedian Phoebe Robinson, the event was the first for the organization, but promises to be the beginning of a very important and meaningful movement to provide the next generation of designers with the funding, exposure, and guidance they need to succeed.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges including the FTUS board (comprised of Fares, Laura Brown, Karla Welch, Tan France, Samira Nasr, and Anne Crawford), and the advisory board, ambassadors, and founding patrons, all leading voices in the fashion and design industries. In addition to the awards, the ceremony included a performance by Rumer Willis and an after-party, where Mia Moretti was spinning everything from Dua Lipa and Beyoncé to Diana Ross.

The Fashion Trust U.S. 2023 award winners included Aisling Camps, who was honored with the St. John Ready-to-Wear Award. In addition to a grant, she will also have an opportunity to work with the St. John team on a special collaboration and receive mentorship and business development advice from Global CEO Andy Lew. The 2023 Jewelry Award went to Soull and Dynasty Ogun of L’Enchanteur. The duo will also receive a grant as well as professional mentorship from FTUS. Papa Oppong won the Graduate Award sponsored by Shop with Google (and presented by Law Roach), which also comes with professional mentorship from Google.

The Inclusivity Award, also sponsored by Shop with Google, went to Agbobly. The first Fashion Trust U.S. Sustainability Award went to Elena Velez and the Google Creativity Award went to Puppets and Puppets. The night's winners each went home with a trophy designed by Ana Khouri, all made from fully traceable fairmined gold.

Celebrity presenters included Tracee Ellis Ross, Ciara, Olivia Wilde, and Maria Sharapova, who presented alongside St. John's Andy Lew. Attendees included noted fashion fans Kathryn Newton, Kiernan Shipka, and Zoey Deutch, and models Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum, and Molly Sims alongside famed stylists Petra Flannery, Karla Welch, Rachel Zoe, Law Roach, and Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald, better known as Wayman and Micah.

Following the success of this year's inaugural event, Fares assured attendees that it will become an annual event, continuing the Fashion Trust's mission to shine a spotlight on the next wave of talent.