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Swarovski Foundation
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Council of Fashion Designers of America

Advancing Sustainable Fashion Through Innovation, Mentorship, and Creative Leadership

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is a leading nonprofit representing over 350 U.S. fashion designers. It works to strengthen the global impact of American fashion by advancing creativity, sustainability, and inclusive growth, while supporting designers through industry leadership, professional development, and grant-making initiatives. 

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Across the broader fashion industry, the percentage of truly sustainability-focused fashion businesses remains low, with estimates suggesting sustainable apparel is only about 6% of the global market, despite growing consumer interest. 

Sourced by CFDA, 2025

Since 2021, the Swarovski Foundation has partnered with the CFDA on the Re:Generation Innovation scholarship, supporting one emerging designer each year through a financial grant covering tuition and final thesis costs. The partnership combines funding with   tailored mentorships, industry exposure, and networking opportunities, supporting the selected design student to accelerate their career and bring innovative ideas to the fashion industry.  

 In 2025, the partnership evolved into the Re:Generation Innovation Fund, a new initiative to fund innovative founders and entrepreneurs who are embedding innovation into the core of their businesses. The Fund provides targeted mentorships, strategic guidance from industry experts, and increased visibility, supporting recipients refine their ideas, strengthen operations, and accelerate the development of innovation toward scalable solutions.  

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Images courtesy of CFDA

During New York Climate Week in 2025, the Swarovski Foundation and CFDA co-hosted an educational panel discussion on “Future Materials: Creative Solutions for a Sustainable World” in collaboration with the Conduit Club. Over 80 industry professionals of cross sectors from Fashion, Academia, Science, Technology and Non-profit attended the event. The panel highlighted the importance of cross sectoral collaborations to advance innovations for a more sustainable world.  

The event featured an innovation exhibition showcasing 7 inspiring works of Re:Generation Innovation inaugural winner, Creatives For Our Future programme cohort and alumni, as well as TomTex (a materials innovation company creating new biomaterials) demonstrating how the power of creativity can shape a more sustainable future.  

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Receiving the Re:Generation Innovation Scholar Award was a defining moment in my journey as a designer.

Bailey Adams

Our inaugural scholar, Bailey Adams, was the first recipient of the Re:Generation Innovation Scholar Award in 2021. Then a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Bailey used the scholarship to cover 90% of his senior-year tuition and thesis collection costs. During the programme, he also received tailored mentorship and access to industry opportunities that supported his professional development. His strong commitment to sustainable design, focused on biodegradable materials and circular production methods, combined with programme support, led to a successful entry level position at Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, and Tory Burch. 

Explore more partners

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Hobby Lobby

Hobby Lobby provides free courses to children at risk of poverty and, with support from the Swarovski Foundation in Austria, is empowering marginalised young people through its Youth Leaders Programme—building leadership skills and preparing them for education and employment.

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Learning Equality

Learning Equality advances education for underserved communities, and with support from the Swarovski Foundation in Uganda, is delivering blended learning for 335+ refugee learners—building foundational and digital skills through its offline-first Kolibri platform. 

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Teach for Austria

Teach For Austria creates equal opportunities through education, and since 2014 the Swarovski Foundation has supported its work across Austria—training Fellows to teach in under-resourced schools and reaching over 4,000 children and young people. 

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Teach For Thailand

Teach For Thailand strengthens academic proficiency and opportunity through education, and since 2015 the Swarovski Foundation has supported its Fellowship Programme—training teachers in under-resourced schools and reaching nearly 7,800 students across Thailand.

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Think Forward

ThinkForward supports young people at risk of becoming not in education, employment, or training, and through its partnership with the Swarovski Foundation in the UK, provides coaching, workplace experiences, and skills-building to help them prepare for their futures. 

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Room to Read

Room to Read addresses gender inequality through education, and since 2015 the Swarovski Foundation has supported its Girls’ Education Programme across Asia—reaching over 2,200 girls and supporting graduates progress into further education or employment.

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Village Enterprise

Village Enterprise works to end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship, and with support from the Swarovski Foundation in Kenya, is training 555 first-time entrepreneurs to launch 185 businesses—benefiting over 3,600 individuals.

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Conservation International

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of people, and with the Swarovski Foundation’s support in South Africa, delivers water literacy and ecosystem restoration—empowering women and young people to safeguard springs, improve hygiene, and lead community water governance.

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UK for UNHCR

UK for UNHCR supports the UN Refugee Agency’s global emergency response, and with support from the Swarovski Foundation, helps deliver life-saving aid within 72 hours of crises—providing shelter, protection, and healthcare to displaced families worldwide.

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