Mexico's Christian Cota in the finals for CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund

Since this is a Mexican fashion blog it is a "must" to talk about the announcement of the list of the 15 finalists for the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Not only I was excited to see names like Prabal Gurung, Pamela Love and Robert Geller, but I was particularly delighted when my eyes spotted Mexico´s Christian Cota.

Why?

The fund, created in 2004 by the glossy Condé Nast magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, intends to help emerging designers by granting some cash ($200,000 for the winner and $50,000 to each of the two runners-up) to inject into their businesses and also provides mentorship by industry experts in a wide range of areas such as business planning, production, marketing, etc.

Cota graduated from Parsons in 2005 and two years later he presented his first collection. Since then, his collections have debuted during Fashion Week, he already sells in outlets like Harvey Nichols ans Saks Fifth Avenue and his business includes his namesake label and his casual line, Agua Cota, but the designer still has a long way to go.

In 2009, Cota already received the Raising Star Award from the Fashion Group International but considering that previous winners of the CFDA/Vogue fund include Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and Doo.Ri, the fund could be the boost that the Mexican designer needs to turn his label into a real international one.

The 28 year old designer didn't get into an easy battle since his name shares space with others like Joseph Altuzarra, Prabal Gurung and Billy Reid. But even a runner-up prize could put Cota in the international radar. Even if he doesn's take the big prize, the expectation will be high.

Today we all know Rodarte, Phillip Lim and Thakoon. They are all outstanding names and their creations have been donned by First Lady Michelle Obama... and Thakoon was even featured in "The September Issue". Interesting thing is that none of them took home the first prize, they were just runners-up but see where they are.

If Cota makes to the final three, it will be a double triumph: one for Cota himself and other for the Mexican fashion scene, which is in need of having a name that truly represents it around the world.

Here is the complete list of the finalists. Winner and the runners-up will be announced in November.

– Joseph Altuzarra: ALTUZARRA
– Billy Reid: BILLY REID
– Christian Cota: CHRISTIAN COTA
– Eddie Borgo: EDDIE BORGO
– Gregory Parkinson: GREGORY PARKINSON
– Oliver Helden and Paul Marlow: LODEN DAGER
– Moss Lipow: MOSS LIPOW
– Pamela Love: PAMELA LOVE JEWELRY
– Prabal Gurung: PRABAL GURUNG
– Robert Geller: ROBERT GELLER