Academy Award: 2006 CFDA Scholarship Grand Prize Winner MinSun Lee

On April 6, 2006, the CFDA Scholarship Committee chose ten winners for this year’s Scholarship Program and Academy of Art University Fashion and Knitwear Design student MinSun Lee was one of three grand-prize winners of $10,000.

“This is the most important student competition in the United States and 2006 is our best year ever for this award,” said Simon Ungless, Director of Graduate Fashion. “We always have a winner in this competition but to have three is incredible.”

The CFDA Scholarship Program is an annual initiative that awards ten merit-based scholarships to college juniors for expenses incurred in their senior year. The program is highly competitive, and entrants represent the best and the brightest from the country’s top fashion colleges and universities.

In August, CFDA Board Member Joseph Abboud made a personal commitment to underwrite the CFDA Scholarship Program. Mr. Abboud pledged to donate $250,000 over the next five years, to “give back to the fashion industry – and to support the future of the American design community”. His support has allowed the CFDA to increase their annual grants to three (3) awards of $10,000 and seven (7) awards of $3000 to the Scholarship Program winners.