COURTESY: azeezaofficial.com
What happens when cultural heritage becomes a starting point rather than a destination?
That question sits at the center of the newly announced 2026–27 CFDA | Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant, which selected Azeeza Khan of Azeeza, Saber Ahmed of Glass Cypress, and Shao Yang of SHAO New York as its newest cohort.
The three designers represent very different corners of contemporary American fashion.
Chicago-based Azeeza has built a recognizable womenswear language around hand-dyed silks, saturated color, and modern femininity. Houston-based Glass Cypress, led by Bangladeshi-American designer Saber Ahmed, brings craftsmanship and storytelling into a more experimental contemporary wardrobe. SHAO New York, meanwhile, combines founder Shao Yang’s precision tailoring with a perspective shaped by Asian heritage and New York culture.
Rather than selecting a single winner, this year’s program is giving each designer $60,000 alongside mentorship and industry support—an important shift toward investing in multiple creative voices instead of asking them to compete for one opportunity.
The theme is equally interesting: “Second Nature.”
Designers are being asked to consider what happens when innovation begins with a cultural story. As part of that process, the trio will travel to Seoul for an immersion into Korean design and craftsmanship before presenting their final collections in New York during AAPI Heritage Month in May 2027.
It’s a thoughtful approach to a conversation fashion sometimes oversimplifies.
AAPI design isn’t a singular aesthetic. It can mean Azeeza’s vibrant femininity, Glass Cypress’ artisanal experimentation, or SHAO’s disciplined tailoring. Heritage might appear directly in a garment—or simply inform the instincts of the person creating it.
By investing in three very different designers at once, the program makes perhaps its most important point without having to say it:
There isn’t one future of AAPI fashion.
There are many.
