Photo: Martin Romero Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story Tonight at Crane Club, Zane Li, of Lii, was announced as the 2026 winner of the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund. The Chongqing-born, New York-based designer has had quite the year. In April, Li took home the Fashion Trust US Ready-to-Wear Award, and in September, he was declared the winner of the Karl Lagerfeld Prize at the LVMH Prize ceremony in Paris.
At the start of the CVFF finalist process, Li spoke of the financial challenges of running a young brand. “The business side [is the difficult part],” he said. “When you start to consider the income, the revenue, the loss, and the money you spend, suddenly you’re turning your interest into a job. The most rewarding part: You get to control everything. You get to pick your show music, which is my favorite part of doing a show. You get to pick what the color of the carpet is at your show space, and you get to decide what kind of styles you want to sell.”
Li rounds out 2026 with a third cash prize, $300,000 from the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund, and further mentorship from industry experts.
“The CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund is an important reminder of why we must continue to champion original voices and true creativity,” said Thom Browne, Chairman of the CFDA, in a statement. “Each of this year’s finalists bring a distinct point of view that only they could. Their true individuality is what makes American fashion so compelling and supporting their future is the responsibility of our industry. I look forward to seeing what they do next.”
This year’s two runners-up are Aisling Camps, a Trinidadian-born engineer-turned-knitwear designer who made her official runway debut at NYFW last month, and Emily Dawn Long, whose “Spoiled Boys” T-shirts have cropped up on male celebrities all summer. Both will receive $100,000 for the continued growth of their brands.