Olivia Cheng of Dauphinette Is the Winner of the CFDA & Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant

At a cocktail reception celebrating the second annual AAPI Design + Innovation Grant that the CFDA has partnered with Genesis House on, Steven Kolb remarked that with DEI initiatives currently under threat, programs like this are more important than ever. Olivia Cheng of the label Dauphinette was announced as the winner on the evening, following a life-changing five-month experience that challenged three designers to interpret their Asian culture and create a collectsion with a focus on inclusion.

“I have so much respect and admiration for Bach and Kozaburo and their work,” Cheng told Vogue, referring to the program’s other participants. “I would have been so happy regardless, so I feel really, really lucky, more than anything, to have had this experience.”

Since this year’s program kicked off with a celebration at NYFW during the September shows, the talented trio have received mentorship from industry titans, $40,000 in funding towards their business, and a two-week trip to Korea to ensure the creative juices and inspiration fountains were really flowing. Each designer was then tasked with creating a modern three-look collectsion that reflected their current identity and point of view with respect to their backstory, heritage, and enduring influences.

Standing beside her capsule collectsion—which included a two-piece set constructed from 24-karat gold-plated Ginkgo leaves and a chocolate-hued suit transformed by over 70 brooches of beautiful beetles and butterflies, Cheng said, “I think people think of modernity as clean lines, minimalism, and taking things away, but I think that for myself and my own practice, it’s about taking things that are quotidian and daily and not only ordinary but maybe things that are even undesirable, like these bugs. Things that people tend to cast away and don’t look upon highly, and make those things fantastical and surreal.”

Dauphinette, whose catchy tagline is ‘Bedroom Floor Couture’ was launched by Cheng in 2018. Five years ago, she opened the doors of her whimsical West Village boutique, which has since become a mecca for her fresh takes on sustainability and repurposed fashion and accessories. You’ve likely already seen her always-viral resin-coated toast, croissant, and baguette bags, or her chainmail tops with pressed flowers, or the feather-trimmed pieces that helped put her on the map when she was starting out.

Now armed with an additional $60,000 in prize money to further her brand, Cheng has a fire under her with what she can do with her beloved retail space. “I’m not showing this season, I took a year off to re-focus,” she said. “When I first opened my store, all I thought about was the creative vision and the ‘floral wonderscape’ of it—now I’m thinking about how to make it more efficient as a retail space and an experience."

“I haven’t won anything since the fourth grade,” Cheng added (it’s worth noting that the humble young designer’s work has already been purchased by The Met for the Costume Institute’s permanent collectsion.) “I said whoever wins, we will take the others to a really nice dinner—not KFC! I’m sure Bach has some Michelin-starred restaurants on his list, so there goes one-third of the money,” she laughed. “No, I promise I’m good with money…I’ll use it wisely!”

Ahead of the NYFW calendar, the achievements of Cheng, Bach Mai, and Kozaburo Akasaka were toasted by the industry at Genesis House on 10th Avenue in Chelsea over traditional Korean staples from the in-house fine dining restaurant. Among those who turned out to support and clink a glass in their honor were Nicole Miller, Andrew Kwon, Lauren Levison, Casey Kohlberg, Victoria Brito, Jodie Chan, Natalie Lim Suarez, and Yao King, who recently hosted the first-ever AAPI Emerging Designers table at the CFDA Awards this past November.