It has been an honor to be a part of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund 2017! 

Chromat was lucky enough to be a finalist in the CVFF in 2015, (which you can watch on Amazon Prime) and we decided to apply again as we have evolved into a year round swimwear brand. This time around, we focused on building our strength in swim and expanding our ethos of inclusivity and empowerment.

   

Look back on Chromat's exciting CVFF 2017 journey as the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund wraps up this Monday. 

FINALISTS:

JUDGE PRESENTATION

 

The first challenge was to present the past, present and future of your brand to the panel of judges. Our amazing #ChromatBABES Denise Bidot, Lauren Wasser, Victoria Gomez, Wayne Booth presented Chromat SWIM in all it's forms. 

It was a dream shooting with supermodels Ashley Graham and Karli Kloss! Ashley Graham has been an outspoken advocate for body diversity in fashion and it was an honor to have her represent our vision of the future- where women of all sizes are represented equally in the pages of Vogue. 

Behind the scenes on set Ashley and Karli told me about going to the same gym and Ashley told us how she met her husband. We listened to Nicki Minaj, Eve, and Leikeli47!

 

For this season's design challenge, we were assigned the art of collaboration. The CFDA and Vogue paired each of the 10 designers up to collaborate and create a look that speaks to both of our brands.

Victor Glemaud x Chromat 

Chromat was paired with knitwear label Glemaud by Victor Glemaud. We started our journey with a tour of the Stoll knitwear factory and sample room to get inspired by knit patterns and textures. This was Chromat's first time doing a fully knitted look (but have long dreamed about doing it), so we were so excited at the opportunity! 

Victor and I decided on a long red evening dress- to create something that could be worn in an evening setting. We both think of red as a neutral, as the color is a big part of both of our collections.

Once our sketch (inspired by the cutouts in the Chromat Sigourney Suit) was approved by Anna Wintour and the Vogue team, we developed the pattern with help from Chromat's UC student Lily Simpson and worked with the team at Stoll to knit the pieces. Some of the pieces were fully fashioned, and some were cut and sewn in the Chromat studio. 

It was a huge thrill to see the CFDA/ Vogue runway show at Chateau Marmont in LA. Vogue pulled our full collection and then they cast the models, styled the show, did hair and makeup, everything. We weren't involved in the creative aspect of the runway show at all. It's a way of Vogue showing us how they see our label.  

Makeup by Alice Lane for Milk Makeup, Hair by Gregory Russell for Ouai.

Via Vogue: "Chromat’s avant-garde scuba girls, who sported rubber swim caps with a beauty look that Lane likened to being “definitely done.” Of the lips, which began in a matte lipstick and ended with a gloss, she says: “I don’t know if this was inspired by L.A. and the plumped-up filler look, but this is a very plastic-y vinyl feel that’s drippy and kind of gross—but she looks cool.”

Go behind the scenes with Vogue here. 

 

 It was so fun to see Teyana Taylor sporting Chromat at the runway show, seated with another #ChromatBABE Laverne Cox! 

 

Via Vogue: "As they say, it takes a village. This idea rings especially true when it comes to the headaches and heartaches of starting your own fashion label. As the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists know well, the hardworking people behind the scenes are instrumental components of any living, breathing brand: the seamstresses, patternmakers, suppliers, shipment managers, and of course, the close friends who are always on hand for emotional support.

For the Instagram challenge in the competition, the designers were asked to give a digital shout-out to these individuals through family portrait–style Instagram snapshots capturing those who have helped support and kick-start their businesses." See our submission below:

Definitely the most memorable site visit would have to be Roopal Patel. With a broken ankle, she was unable to take the stairs to our studio, so we met in the loading dock instead! 

Vogue Fashion News Director Mark Holgate and Director of Vogue Runway Nicole Phelps