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Kwame Adusei and Diotima’s Rachel Scott Among Fashion Trust US 2025 Winners

Emerging designers were awarded $500,000 in grants for categories including sustainability, ready-to-wear and accessories at Fashion Trust’s third annual US event.
Sustainability award winner Kwame Adusei poses with presenter Kate Hudson at the Fashion Trust US Awards 2025 on Apr. 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Sustainability award winner Kwame Adusei poses with presenter Kate Hudson at the Fashion Trust US Awards 2025 on Apr. 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images)

Now in its third year, the Fashion Trust US Awards recognized a new set of up-and-coming designers on Apr. 8.

Rachel Scott, the designer for crochet-focused Diotima, took home the 2025 ready-to-wear award at the celebrity-filled Los Angeles ceremony. The award for accessories went to Dani Griffiths of Clyde, a brand especially known for hatwear. Skiwear-inspired Patrick Taylor won the graduate award, while Rebecca Zeijdel-Paz of Caribbean-influenced fine jewellery brand Beck won the jewellery award. Nana Kwame Adusei of Kwame Adusei won the sustainability award for sourcing recycled fabrics that have been offloaded to Ghana from Western countries. Creative director of Saint Laurent Anthony Vaccarello was announced as the recipient of the event’s inaugural Honorary Award.

The ready-to-wear award was the latest industry accolade for Scott, who was named the American Womenswear Designer of the Year by the CFDA in October 2024.

Recipients will be awarded a combined $500,000 in grants as well as mentorships funded by Fashion Trust US and sponsors including Google and fashion label St. John.

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“Young fashion designers and graduates need to overcome an incredible amount of challenges, especially in the early stages of their careers as they figure out what they stand for and what they want to say with their brands,” said Carmen Busquets, the co-founder of Net-a-Porter and one of the award judges.

Fashion Trust US was created by Tania Fares, who previously co-founded Fashion Trust Arabia in 2018 with Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani as a grant programme for emerging MENA-region designers.

Learn more:

Fashion Trust Arabia Crowns Prize Winners

Nadine Mosallam, Yasmin Mansour and Reem Hamed are among this year’s winning designers, each receiving a financial grant of between $100,000 and $200,000.

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