AZ Apparel Foundation Awards 6 Local Designers ‘Designer in Residence’ Scholarship Opportunities

2019 Scholarship Winner Jay McPhaul learning about garment specs and technical flat sketching. Photographed by Shane Baker.

Six of the Valley’s most fashion-forward citizens will have a chance to bring their dreams to fruition after securing new scholarship opportunities from the AZ Apparel Foundation.

The six recipients of the organization’s Designer in Residence Scholarships, which are part of the foundation’s Designer in Residence Accelerator program, will now be able to take part in a six-month training program intended to help them shape and market their emerging fashion brands. They’ll also gain access to resources that will help them accelerate their brands’ growth and position them for continued success in the future. 

The six Designer in Residence Scholarship winners were chosen from a field of 13 finalists and 50 total applicants, with the selected winners demonstrating the potential needed to build a successful niche fashion brand in Arizona. Last year, only three entrepreneurial fashion designers earned the accolade.

This year’s scholarship winners include:

Hillary Lenfesty – Freestyle Collective | Women’s post-surgery fashions (Phoenix, AZ)
Jennifer Walter – Serving Glamour | Transgendered women’s fashion (Peoria, AZ)
Lindsay Johnson & Nikki Lewis – Sequoia Clothing Co. | Tall women’s activewear (Phoenix, AZ)
Loren Aragon – ACONAV | Native American Couture (Maricopa, AZ)
Nick Wetta – West Major | Men’s vintage inspired western shirts (Phoenix, AZ)
Scott Warren – Heights Apparel | Tall men’s directional apparel (Tempe, AZ)

The AZ Apparel Foundation will soon host its monthly “Behind the Seams” fashion industry event, with this month’s installment celebrating the accomplishments of the six scholarship winners as well as all 13 finalists. Slated for 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30 at FABRIC in Tempe, (132 E 6th St.) the event involves a “who’s who” of the local fashion landscape and acknowledges the accomplishments of today’s fashion and design up-and-comers. To RSVP, click here.

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