The Amiri Prize, the fashion award and incubator launched by designer Mike Amiri in 2021, is returning this year. “I get direct messages from young creatives asking for advice all the time, and I remember how it was for me, finding my own way in the industry,” the designer shared via email. “I feel I am in a unique position to help because my path was unconventional, so I wanted to create a platform to really invest in a new generation who might be doing things differently.” For the first time, the prize is open to international creatives who “reiterate the ethos of the original American dream” and “tap into a sense of possibility and, above all, equal opportunity.”
“The first edition was a great success, and it was important for us to support homegrown talent,” Amiri added. “Amiri is an international brand with a broad audience, so we wanted to extend this opportunity to international applicants and creatives. The previous prize also had a restriction on how many years someone had a business; this year we are focusing more on creative perspective and ingenuity.”
Designers are welcome to submit their applications at the Amiri Prize website. They will be judged by Amiri and a panel of distinguished industry professionals that includes KidSuper’s Colm Dillane, A-Cold-Wall’s Samuel Ross, the designer Salehe Bembury, Vogue’s global contributing fashion editor at large Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, GQ’s global editorial director Will Welch, GQ China’s editorial director Rocco Liu, Puma creative director and designer June Ambrose, stylist Law Roach, and the stylist and founder of theBallroom Lucia Liu.
For the judges, this is an opportunity to directly influence the industry in a positive way. “I want to help build a new system designed to support and benefit the people who historically don’t have access to the highest rungs of fashion,” said Karefa-Johnson. “It’s time to rethink what fashion looks like, by expanding the pool of talent we platform—and the Amiri Prize is part of that.” Ambrose agreed: “Fashion can be an exclusive industry. It is expensive, relentless, and many of the bigger industry opportunities are concentrated in a few regional hubs. These prizes and initiatives are so important because they democratize entry and allow for talent to speak for itself.”
The experience is just as important and rewarding for Amiri. “Advising young designers on the beginnings and fundamentals of building their own brand helps me touch base on the things that were the foundation of my business and how I started.” He added: “It is incredibly inspiring to be around the next generation of talent that will go on to be leaders in this industry.”
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