Kent State University’s School of Fashion is proud to announce that Zahra Najafi and Brye Wheeler were among 34 finalists selected by The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA).
Zahra Najafi, a senior B.F.A. fashion design student, has been awarded the CFDA x Crystal Bridges Heartland Scholar Award for $25,000. She is one of eleven fashion students receiving scholarships this year. Zahra’s work, titled “Flowers are Blooming in Antarctica,” aims to use basic shapes to make interesting garments and to create interactive and adjustable elements to the pieces. Zahra is currently studying abroad in Japan.
Finalist Brye, a senior B.F.A. fashion design student, is working on her senior thesis collection.
"Since 2021, our students have placed as finalists and won CFDA scholarships,” said Archana Mehta, associate lecturer for the School of Fashion. “The fact that two students from the School of Fashion were selected as finalists out of 320 applicants is a testament to the dedication of the faculty mentors, as well as the talent and hard work of the students. We are incredibly proud of Zahra, who won the CFDA X Crystal Bridges Heartland Scholarship. Being one of only 11 design students in the nation to earn such a prestigious honor is no small feat."
Mehta supervises external competitions and scholarships for the School of Fashion. She engages students and faculty mentors, disseminates information and coordinates critiques with students and faculty mentors across five campuses: Hong Kong, Paris, Florence, Kent and NYC.
Previous Kent State University School of Fashion CFDA Finalists and Winners
2021: Dalimar Solis Ortiz, Finalist and Jessica Lee, Finalist
2022: Farah Shahrour, $10,000
2023: Tamara Maroño Garza, $25,000
2024: Zahra Najafi, $25,000 and Brye Wheeler, Finalist
The CFDA x Crystal Bridges Heartland Scholar Award is available to junior undergraduate students and first-year graduate students who are who are enrolled in a fashion design program at an American college or university. To be considered for this award, the student must have been born in, been a resident for five years of, or studying in a "heartland state".
A big congratulations to Zahra Najafi and Brye Wheeler, and to all the award recipients! And thank you to CFDA for your commitment to students!
Header images: (Left) Zahra Najafi; (Right) Brye Wheeler