Public School designers Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow have come a long way. Yes, they actually did attend NYC public schools, but their storied pasts include ushering in a new wave of urban-influenced streetwear at Sean John, to developing their aesthetic and business acumen as one of the first members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America's (CFDA) Fashion Incubator program. Now, the duo's garnered a huge win as the CFDA's Menswear Designer of the Year.
This well-deserved coup for Osborne and Chow signifies how much the worlds of streetwear and high fashion have blurred together, and how a new generation of young, street-smart designers are fast becoming the stylish tastemakers of the future. With Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air also up for a Swarovski Award for Menswear, tonight's CFDA Awards could really signal a shift in the institution of fashion.
[CFDA]
