Last night Rachel Scott of Diotima was announced as the recipient of the Empowered Vision Award. As the first-ever recipient of the award created by the CFDA and the Andréa W. and Kenneth C. Frazier Family Foundation, her victory highlights her ability to create a profitable and intentional business today. Scott learned the story of victory in a WSA room filled with his peers and other savants: stylists, creatives and multi-hyphenates from the greater New York fashion community. Notably, Scott recently won a CFDA Award, American Womenswear Designer of the Year. She became the first black female designer to win the award that night.

Scott has largely built the bulk of his brand on creations that appear supernatural. For several seasons, its presentations at New York Fashion Week have grown considerably, reflecting the buzz around the brand. But it also speaks to the designer’s ability to command attention because of the intentionality behind her designs. Knits and textured fabrics are given new life under Scott’s direction – Diotima is a love letter to his native Jamaica. Perhaps what’s most compelling about Diotima’s rise is how New York has embraced and championed these creations.

Diotima is currently available at Moda Operandi, Bergdorf Goodman, FWRD, The Webster and McMullen. These dealers are hinting at the luxury market and how it has also embraced Scott’s poignant designs.

The Empowered Vision Award was created to elevate and highlight an independent Black designer. Scott will receive a financial grant of $100,000 in addition to $100,000 dedicated to a one-year mentoring program. The goal is also to “foster innovation and promote equity within the fashion industry, supporting both creative talent and long-term business growth,” according to a CFDA press release. .

“Supporting Rachel Scott through the Empowered Vision Award is a significant step in our commitment to breaking down barriers and creating pathways for Black designers to thrive. By partnering with the CFDA, we are investing not only in his creative journey, but also in the future of a more inclusive and resilient industry,” shared James Frazier, Trustee of the Frazier Family Foundation.

Finalist designers included Charles Harbison and Aisling Camps, these two designers are the founders of their eponymous brands. Harbison is currently based in Los Angeles and Camps is based in Brooklyn. The fashion titans diligently dug into the respective brands that Scott and the finalists built and launched into the world. Key figures on the committee that selected the award winner include Diane Von Furstenberg, Shiona Turini, Alastair McKimm, Carlos Nazario, and more.

“Congratulations not only to Rachel Scott of Diotima, but also to Aisling Camps and Charles Harbison of Harbison for their exceptional creativity, vision and commitment to creating unique and enduring brands showcasing the best of American fashion creativity. Their work exemplifies the shared vision between the CFDA and the Frazier Family Foundation to redefine possibilities in fashion by promoting local creative business talent,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA.