Adaptive Fashion Took Center Stage at This Year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Challenge

This year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund introduced a powerful new focus: adaptive fashion. The concept was unveiled last night during the Fund’s annual challenge competition, where the ten 2025 finalists were each paired with muses from Tilting the Lens—the accessibility and inclusion consultancy founded by Sinéad Burke. The task? To work directly with their muse to create a look in the spirit of their brand, but with adaptive capabilities, reframing inclusive design not as a specialty category, but as a fundamental element of modern luxury fashion.

“It’s important to understand what adaptive really means,” Burke, who served as guest judge for the challenge, told Vogue. “Historically, adaptive fashion has been positioned specifically for disabled people—but the reality is, everyone benefits from more accessible, inclusive design. With this challenge, we’ve really underlined the idea that lived experience is expertise. We have ten extraordinary designers, each partnered with an extraordinary muse, all with different disabilities, identities, and careers. What we hope is that this represents a pendulum shift: that luxury fashion begins to truly partner with disabled people to create better fashion for everyone.”

Tommy Hilfiger—both sponsor and guest judge—helped launch the initiative. A pioneer in adaptive design, Hilfiger’s brand was among the first major labels to invest seriously in this space, launching its first adaptive collectsion in 2016. “It’s very exciting to have a challenge that’s this inclusive and barrier-breaking,” he said. “Nobody ever thinks about the importance of adaptive fashion. We’ve been working in this space for years, but many designers haven’t yet engaged with it. I’m excited to see the energy in the room.”

This year’s challenge will unfold over the coming weeks, as each designer completes two fittings with their muse in New York City before presenting their final look in a Vogue photo shoot. Throughout the process, Burke’s consultancy Tilting the Lens will serve as advisor, helping designers navigate the nuances of adaptive design while celebrating the individuality of their muses.

That process began last night atop Nine Orchard’s rooftop greenhouse, where the ten designer-muse duos met for the first time. Among the finalists: Ashlynn Park of Ashlyn, paired with Bri Scalesse; Julian Louie of Aubero, paired with Jerron Herman; Bach Mai, paired with Daphne Frias; Bernard James, paired with Maya Moore; Ashley Moubayed of Don’t Let Disco, paired with Lachi; Gabe Gordon and Timothy Gibbons of Gabe Gordon, paired with Finnegan Shannon; Stephanie Suberville of Heirlome, paired with Caity Briare; Jamie Okuma, paired with Marsha Elle; Meruert Tolegen, paired with Andrea Dalzell; and Peter Do, paired with Jezz Chung. Together, designers and muses mingled, shared personal stories, and began mapping their approach to inclusive design.

Bach Mai, paired with environmental and disability rights advocate Daphne Frias, shared his approach: “For me, this challenge is about what I always prioritize in design: making the wearer feel like she can take on the world. Couture is custom—it should eliminate struggles like the ones Daphne has faced. I’m excited to push couture forward with her.”

Elsewhere, Marsha Elle, a bionic model and disability advocate, emphasized creativity without limits. “I told my designer: I’m from Miami. There’s no such thing as underdressed. Let’s have fun and create something no one’s seen before.”

Ashley Moubayed of Don’t Let Disco reflected, “What excites me most is focusing on something deeply personal and empowering to someone else.”

Ashlynn Park added, “This challenge is serious work. It’s not just about making one piece—it’s about learning from a different community and adapting that knowledge to my business and brand.”

Gabe Gordon and Timothy Gibbons of Gabe Gordon noted how their muse, Finn, a visual artist, offered a conceptual entry point: “So much of our work is about pushing narratives of identity, and this partnership opens up new ways of doing that.”

As the evening unfolded, industry notables—including Zac Posen, Lynn Yaeger, Willy Chavarria, Aurora James, and Eva Chen—mingled as designers and muses began to lay the groundwork for their collaborations.

Hilfiger, as judge, summed up what he hopes to see: “Fashion that’s not just adaptive—but fashion that makes a real difference in people’s lives.”